After her cousin’s house burned down in the flames engulfing Los Angeles, Latandra Landrum knew she had to help somehow, even from hundreds of miles away in St. Louis.
She set up a GoFundMe with a goal of raising $50,000. The funds now sit at just over $44,000.
Brian was born and raised in St. Louis. He attended Gateway Arch High School and later graduated from the University of Missouri. He moved to California 18 years ago where he is now a middle school principal.
The family was evacuated two separate times, once to a friend’s house, and again after their friends were instructed to evacuate their home. Brian Perry, whose family includes his wife Kwynn and their teen son, Ellison, grabbed as many belongings as they could before their entire neighborhood in Altadena, California, was wiped out.
“When he told us they lost everything, as a family, we always come together,” Landrum said. “But I knew we had to do something beyond our scope.”
Brian was born and raised in St. Louis. He attended Gateway Arch High School and later graduated from the University of Missouri. He moved to California 18 years ago where he is now a middle school principal.
In February, the family was dropped from their home insurance as companies were unwilling to take the risk in the increasing issue of wildfires in California. Large insurers such as Allstate, Farmer’s Insurance, and State Farm all paused or scaled back applications for home insurance in the past two years.
According to a CBS News report, 1,600 policies in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood alone in Los Angeles were dropped by State Farm in July. An analysis by CBS San Francisco found the company also dropped an additional 2,000 policies in two other Los Angeles zip codes.
“A lot of people in California, in their area, were just told they were being dropped for the fire insurance due to all the wildfires that California has,” Landrum said. “So they were just given that reason.”
Perry and his family are now staying at a friend’s Airbnb as they plan their next steps. Landrum said the family is unsure how long the accommodation will be available for the family. The family is looking for donations to purchase clothes, shoes, furniture and household goods.
“The financial need, as he told me, it’s so great, they’re kind of at a loss at kind of even where to start,” she said. “It’s literally moment by moment. We have food today. We have a roof over here today. We don’t know tomorrow.”
Landrum said she finds it difficult to be so far from the family. She video calls the family every day to check on them. But, she said, it doesn’t compare to how she could help in person.
“It’s hard not being able to just give them a hug and just be of support in that way,” she said. “When your family hurts, you hurt.”
To help Perry’s family, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-brian-kwynn-and-ellison-rebuild-after-the-wildfire