Melissa Rivers recalled how swiftly the California wildfires unfold, forcing the county’s Prepared, Set, Go evacuation plan to primarily skip straight to “Set.” That left her with little time to assemble her most valued possessions earlier than fleeing her dwelling.
When the ultimate warning arrived, Rivers mentioned Tuesday, “The fire was still a canyon away, but you could clearly see the flames.”
Within the rush to evacuate, she rapidly gathered her pets and some sentimental gadgets, together with her late mom Joan Rivers ’ Emmy Award. “I grabbed each my dad and mom’ watches and my dad’s costume watch,” which she had given to her son Cooper for his 18th birthday.
She additionally managed to pack a couple of items of clothes. “All our belongings are crammed into three tote bags, three large canvas bags, and several Macy’s plastic bags along with a CVS bag,” she mentioned.
The hearth utterly devastated her property. “We lost everything. The only thing that survived is our front gate and the barbecue,” Rivers shared.
She described the size of destruction as unimaginable.
“It’s so much more than just the homes — it’s an entire town wiped off the map,” she mentioned. “Many businesses in Palisades were family-owned. There are people who not only lost their homes but also their businesses and livelihoods.”
Discovering protected shelter has been one other problem.
“We’ve had to move three times due to evacuations, but we’ve settled at a friend’s house in Santa Monica,” Rivers mentioned. “They’ve been kind enough to take us in, along with another family we’re friends with.”
Rivers copes with these challenges by way of her self-proclaimed “dark sense of humor” and her knack for making folks snicker. She additionally finds solace in supporting others who’re struggling, which helps to ease her personal burdens.
“Checking in and comforting the people in my world that are affected by this allows me to not deal with my home stuff right now. I cried once for five minutes and then again for like 20 and don’t have time to do that. I am my parents’ daughter.”
Regardless of dropping most of her belongings, Rivers is adamant about prioritizing these in higher want.
“People are donating, and stores are offering huge discounts. I see so many of my friends from the Palisades wanting to get a discount somewhere. And I keep trying to say to them, these are not meant for you. You can buy another pair of freaking jeans at Neiman Marcus just like you always did. Let the people who really need it have the first shot at it.”
Among the many charitable donations, one stood out to Rivers.
”Apparently, Jennifer Lopez dropped off some garments. And we had been laughing somebody, someplace simply obtained a pair of a Jennifer Lopez’s denims. How superb,” she mentioned.
