Weinberg freshman Nate Berman has lived in the Palisades for his entire life. Over the past week, he has watched a fire blaze across his hometown from more than 2,000 miles away.
The Palisades fire was the first of several wildfires to break out last Tuesday and may go down as the most destructive in state history. This fire is also the largest of the series of wildfires spreading across Los Angeles, all of which have been powered by gusts from the Santa Ana winds.
“When this all first happened, it was really shocking and devastating, and it almost didn’t feel real,” Berman said. “Just seeing the footage of how (the Palisades have) been completely destroyed is so hard for me.”
Being so far away from home, Berman said, contributed to a feeling of helplessness.
This feeling manifested as an intense fear — for his family, his friends and all of the small business owners in the Palisades and L.A. as a whole, Berman said.
“Right now, what’s weighing on me most is just thinking about my house and the place where I grew up, and all those memories and pictures that we wouldn’t be able to get back,” Berman said. “I’m really just hoping that it’s still standing.”
Medill freshman and Daily staffer Nonso Kojo Onwaeze is also from L.A. and attended Palisades Charter High School, which was significantly damaged by the fires.
This loss, Onwaeze said, was particularly painful.
“This was the community that raised me for the last four years, and I truly would not be who I am today without Pali and a lot of my friends live in the Palisades,” Onwaeze said. “It is just really sad to see all the homes go down and so many memories from this town, just all gone in two days, has been really painful.”
The experience of feeling helpless motivated the two freshmen to launch a GoFundMe in order to raise money for those affected by the fires.
All of the money raised is donated to the California Fire Foundation, an organization that provides emotional and financial support to families of fallen firefighters, firefighters and the communities they serve.
“For the majority of the week, we felt very helpless,” Onwaeze said. “The fear and hopelessness still lingers in there, but with more support and the spread of awareness on this faster, I started to get better and gain more hope.”
So far, the two have raised more than $4,500, but they have no plans to slow down. Their fundraising goal is $10,000.
In the midst of this devastating tragedy, both Berman and Onwaeze said they encourage people to check on anyone they know from L.A. and donate to organizations supporting those affected.
“We’re already so humbled and honored by the way that the Northwestern community has come through for this initiative,” Berman said. “It’s been really incredible. I don’t think either of us thought it would get this far, but we’re excited about the opportunity to reach more people and hopefully help even more.”
For now, NU is working to support students affected by the fire by offering support and resources for those in need, according to a University spokesperson.
“NU will continue to monitor the situation and support our students and their families as they navigate these unprecedented events,” a University spokesperson said.
Email: leahschroeder2026@u.northwestern.edu
Twitter: @lmschroeder_
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