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<v Speaker 1>I am six forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app.

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<v Speaker 1>Tiffany Hobbs here with you. It's Saturdays with Tiffany, And

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<v Speaker 1>I want to tell you.

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<v Speaker 2>I want to clue you.

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<v Speaker 1>In to a very special secret. And yeah it's a

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<v Speaker 1>secret no more, because I'll be telling you some information

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<v Speaker 1>about this very special place because we don't want it

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<v Speaker 1>to be lost. We don't want it to be yet

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<v Speaker 1>another casualty of the fires in the Palisades and in

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<v Speaker 1>the Pasadena and Altadena areas.

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<v Speaker 2>This really special place is.

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<v Speaker 1>Something that if you've driven down PCCh either north or southbound,

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<v Speaker 1>and you've looked up at any point as you are

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<v Speaker 1>nearing Santa Monica in that border and you're kind of

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<v Speaker 1>going through the Pacific Palisades, you might have noticed a

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<v Speaker 1>sign for something called the Tahitian Terrace Mobile Park, ring

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<v Speaker 1>a bell. It's a place where when I look I

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<v Speaker 1>had kind of these wistful dreams. I wondered, what is

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<v Speaker 1>that there's a mobile home park in the Palisades.

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<v Speaker 2>Wow, And when you.

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<v Speaker 1>Looked at it, it towered over PCH and had this

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<v Speaker 1>wonderful exposure to the coastline. Definitely coveted land Prime Real Estate.

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<v Speaker 1>It's right across from will Rogers State Beach.

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<v Speaker 2>Again.

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<v Speaker 1>This Tahitian Terrace mobile park tucked away in the hillside,

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<v Speaker 1>and there were one hundred and fifty eight mobile and

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<v Speaker 1>prefabricated homes, homes that were owned, and plots that were rented,

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<v Speaker 1>rent controlled in fact, so people who lived there never left.

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<v Speaker 1>You'd be hard pressed to find any availability in the

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<v Speaker 1>Tahitian Terrace if you got in, if you were so

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<v Speaker 1>lucky to get into that community, you did not dare leave.

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<v Speaker 1>And there were residents who were into their eighties and

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<v Speaker 1>nineties who had lived there since the inception of this

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<v Speaker 1>planned community. They lived on palm lined code de sacs

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<v Speaker 1>with names such as Aloha Drive, Kiki Place, and Bali Lane.

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<v Speaker 1>The Tahitian Terrace again carved into this beautiful hillside adjacent

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<v Speaker 1>to Tumescal Canyon Road. Opened in nineteen sixty two, it

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<v Speaker 1>was the golden age for mobile home parks, as they

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<v Speaker 1>were popping up all around the country after World War Two.

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<v Speaker 2>In his nineteen.

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<v Speaker 1>Sixty two book Travels with Charlie in Search of America,

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<v Speaker 1>author John Steinbeck marveled at the houses, including those in

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<v Speaker 1>Tahitian terraces, saying, quote, these new things under the sun,

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<v Speaker 1>of their great numbers, the parks where they sit down

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<v Speaker 1>in uneasy permanence.

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<v Speaker 2>They were a phenomenon, and.

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<v Speaker 1>For the Tahitian Terarra to withstand the ever changing nature

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<v Speaker 1>of the Palisades and Los Angeles at large, a very

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<v Speaker 1>special jewel. By nineteen seventy nine, residents of the Tahitian

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<v Speaker 1>Terance but Terrists were paying between two hundred and four

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<v Speaker 1>hundred dollars a month for their ocean view homes. Back

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<v Speaker 1>then that was even a steal, and as of twenty

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<v Speaker 1>twenty five, that affordability continued. Many of the residents knew

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<v Speaker 1>each other. It was a very close knit community, an

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<v Speaker 1>eclectic community. Some might actually describe it as bohemian. You

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<v Speaker 1>had your artists, You had your sculptors, your painters, your actors,

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<v Speaker 1>You had your educators. You had your retirees, people who

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<v Speaker 1>again never intended to leave. You had people who passed

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<v Speaker 1>down homes to other generations. That you had residents who

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<v Speaker 1>inherited homes from their parents themselves being raised at the

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<v Speaker 1>Tahitian Terrace.

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<v Speaker 2>It was a jewel.

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<v Speaker 1>And I speak about it in the past tense because

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<v Speaker 1>on January seventh, as the Palisades Fire raged on, it

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<v Speaker 1>set its sights on the Tahitian Terrace community. Now we

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<v Speaker 1>have on, I want to introduce to you a very

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<v Speaker 1>special person. His name is Alec Edwards. Alec Edwards is

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<v Speaker 1>a fire captain. He lived at the Tahitian Terrace. He

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<v Speaker 1>had lived there for a few years with his wife,

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<v Speaker 1>Becky and their daughter, their toddler aged daughter, and they

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<v Speaker 1>had a beautiful home, their dream home. In fact, the

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<v Speaker 1>day that the Palisades Fire began, Alec was actually off

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<v Speaker 1>and after making sure that his family was safe and

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<v Speaker 1>evacuated from the community, Alec and other residents stayed behind

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<v Speaker 1>to battle the fire that consumed their neighborhood. Al is

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<v Speaker 1>just a stellar human and the fact that he is

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<v Speaker 1>here with us I count as just an absolute honor.

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<v Speaker 1>Alec has spoken about his experiences that day online, and

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<v Speaker 1>I actually invited Alec on to the show after he

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<v Speaker 1>shared the timeline of events that day during the Palisades fire,

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<v Speaker 1>and he said, then I noticed that speaking publicly about

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<v Speaker 1>what he went through, not only was he expecting that

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<v Speaker 1>to help others who were navigating what was going on,

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<v Speaker 1>but that it also was cathartic and therapeutic for him

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<v Speaker 1>as well to share his experience. So I asked Alec

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<v Speaker 1>to come on and talk to us about the events

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<v Speaker 1>of that fateful night. Please welcome Captain Alec Edwards to

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<v Speaker 1>the show.

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<v Speaker 3>Hi, Alec, Hey, Tiffany, how are you.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm well.

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<v Speaker 1>Thank you so much for coming on with us and

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<v Speaker 1>giving us your time. This can't be easy by any

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<v Speaker 1>stretch of the imagination, and I really appreciate you being

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<v Speaker 1>willing to describe what happened at the Tahitian Terrass in

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<v Speaker 1>your own words. This article the La Times wrote and

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<v Speaker 1>the chronicling they did, the profiling they did is beautiful,

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<v Speaker 1>but it pales in comparison to actually hearing it directly

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<v Speaker 1>from you.

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<v Speaker 2>So thank you again for coming on with us.

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<v Speaker 3>Absolutely, thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk

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<v Speaker 3>about my like you've described it, the jewel of my life,

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<v Speaker 3>where we had our family and I only got to

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<v Speaker 3>be there for six and a half years, but I

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<v Speaker 3>loved it there, and yeah, we fought to try to

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<v Speaker 3>save it.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, before before you actually get into the fighting part,

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<v Speaker 1>because I'm going to dedicate a lot more time to

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<v Speaker 1>you retelling your story tell us a little bit about

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<v Speaker 1>what attracted you initially to the Tahitian terrasts. There are

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<v Speaker 1>so many places you could have bought why by there?

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, So I grew up in Santa Monica. I'm a surfer.

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<v Speaker 3>Before I was a fire captain, I was surfer, and

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<v Speaker 3>my entire life I drove up pch going surfing, and

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<v Speaker 3>I always kind of saw this sign for Tahitian Terrace,

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<v Speaker 3>but I didn't know anybody that lived there, and kind

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<v Speaker 3>of always just thought, hmm, I don't know what that is.

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<v Speaker 3>Kind of like you said, we were experienced. And then

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<v Speaker 3>when I met my wife, Becky, one of her best

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<v Speaker 3>friends lived in the park, and that was something different,

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<v Speaker 3>and so we started visiting her and going to dinners there,

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<v Speaker 3>and then we just got really lucky. There was an

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<v Speaker 3>elderly lady who was moving out and wanted someone to

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<v Speaker 3>take her her home. Her her children didn't want it,

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<v Speaker 3>they lived out of state, and she wanted someone who

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<v Speaker 3>was going to move in and not demolish it, but

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<v Speaker 3>just live in the place that she lived and have

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<v Speaker 3>a family there. And so she made sure that we

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<v Speaker 3>got it, and so we moved in when we had

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<v Speaker 3>an ocean view and we could five minutes. It was

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<v Speaker 3>some of our favorite surf spots. And you know, it

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<v Speaker 3>was funny we moved in because my wife's best friend

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<v Speaker 3>lived there, and a couple other friends that we had

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<v Speaker 3>made from being there lived there. And then when we

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<v Speaker 3>moved in, after about a year, my wife's best friend

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<v Speaker 3>moved to Portugal and another one got married and ended

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<v Speaker 3>up in San Diego, and the people that we had

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<v Speaker 3>originally moved there to be around had left, and we

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<v Speaker 3>were left with this amazing community of other people that

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<v Speaker 3>we had become best friends with. I mean people that

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<v Speaker 3>I counted as family, honestly.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, yeah, it sounds incredible. It sounds incredible. Aleck.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, the time is actually against us, and we

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<v Speaker 1>have a lot more to cover, and I want you

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<v Speaker 1>to continue telling us about the Tahitian Terraces and about

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<v Speaker 1>how special it was to you, so special in fact,

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<v Speaker 1>that you were willing to risk your life that day

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<v Speaker 1>to fight for your community. Can I hold you over

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<v Speaker 1>for another segment and we can do that when we

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<v Speaker 1>come back.

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<v Speaker 2>Absolutely, thank you, wonderful.

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<v Speaker 1>We're talking to Captain Fire Captain Alec Edwards, resident of

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<v Speaker 1>the Tahitian Terrace. A mobile home park tucked away adjacent

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<v Speaker 1>to Tumesco Canyon there in the Pacific Palisades, right off

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<v Speaker 1>of PCH a beautiful community, and we'll hear from Alec

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<v Speaker 1>directly about what happened the day of the Palisades fire

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<v Speaker 1>and his very ambitious quest along with neighbors to save

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<v Speaker 1>their community. We are talking to fire Captain Alec Edwards.

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<v Speaker 1>He is a longtime fire captain and was a six

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<v Speaker 1>year resident of the Tahitian Terrace mobile home Park in

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<v Speaker 1>the Pacific Palisades. Unfortunately a victim a major casualty that

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<v Speaker 1>mobile home park of the Palisades fire, and the La

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<v Speaker 1>Times did a very long story about the Tahitian Terraces

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<v Speaker 1>as well as about the neighbors. Some of the neighbors

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<v Speaker 1>who stayed behind to try to fight that Palisades fire.

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<v Speaker 1>And rather than me just telling you excerpts from the story,

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<v Speaker 1>I reached out to Alec, who I've known for almost

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<v Speaker 1>twenty years now and I've watched as he's navigated this

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<v Speaker 1>personal loss publicly by sharing about what happened that day,

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<v Speaker 1>and I thought, you know, come on, KFI, talk to

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<v Speaker 1>our audience and let them know directly from yourself, from

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<v Speaker 1>you personally what you went through. So Alec, again, thank

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<v Speaker 1>you for coming on with us. And you were telling

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<v Speaker 1>us about living at the Tahitian Terrace. Can you tell

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<v Speaker 1>us what happened that day?

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, thank you, Tiffany. So that day, right around ten am,

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<v Speaker 3>we started getting alerts that there was a fire, and

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<v Speaker 3>you could see it from pretty much everywhere in the Palisades.

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<v Speaker 3>There was just this big plume of smoke coming from

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<v Speaker 3>up in the mountains. We knew there was a lot

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<v Speaker 3>of wind that day, and so my wife got home

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<v Speaker 3>from work early, packed up the kid, and they evacuated

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<v Speaker 3>around twelve thirty. I stayed back thinking that, you know,

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<v Speaker 3>I just had some garden hose with me, and I thought,

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<v Speaker 3>if there's any embers that fly over, I'll try to

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<v Speaker 3>put them out. Our area traditionally has never really been

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<v Speaker 3>affected by these wildfires, but this one was different. And

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<v Speaker 3>right around three o'clock the wind shifted and it started

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<v Speaker 3>blowing directly at us. Yeah, it was it was wild.

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<v Speaker 3>I've never seen winds like that before. I've been a

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<v Speaker 3>firefighter for quite a minute few years, and it was

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<v Speaker 3>pretty wild. So and then right around that time, a firefighter,

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<v Speaker 3>a friend of one of my neighbors showed up in

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<v Speaker 3>the park with fire, actual fire hose and novels, and

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<v Speaker 3>we thought, oh, we might actually be able to do

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<v Speaker 3>something here. And so he and I and this man

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<v Speaker 3>named JB who is a retired military and one of

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<v Speaker 3>my neighbors. He stayed back and the three of us

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<v Speaker 3>ended up tapping into a fire hydrant and as the

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<v Speaker 3>fire came into our park, we started trying to save houses. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 3>and right around then is when an LA City l

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<v Speaker 3>a fd rake showed up and a cal fire rag

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<v Speaker 3>showed up, and so we tied in with them, and

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<v Speaker 3>they were generous enough to let us pull some hose.

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<v Speaker 3>We let them. They let us pull some hoses off

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<v Speaker 3>their engine as well, and all of us started just

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<v Speaker 3>going to work trying to say what we could. Wow.

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<v Speaker 1>Wow, that's just you know, when you think about the

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<v Speaker 1>effort of you guys who were there, the neighbors coming

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<v Speaker 1>together trying what you can with the kind of I

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<v Speaker 1>guess you would say that the meager supplies you had

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<v Speaker 1>a regular garden hose, but then being able to access

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<v Speaker 1>your larger hoses. And then fortunately a truck shows up

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<v Speaker 1>and you guys are you're professional, So you're able to

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<v Speaker 1>just combine efforts, so now there's this.

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<v Speaker 2>Organic effort to fight the fire.

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<v Speaker 1>I just I can't imagine what that was like for you,

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<v Speaker 1>as a firefighter, who this is your career, this is

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<v Speaker 1>what you do for strangers, but you're doing this for

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<v Speaker 1>your own community.

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<v Speaker 3>It was hard. It was really hard. The end of

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<v Speaker 3>my street. Some people that I really love once their

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<v Speaker 3>house burn to the ground. Was really difficult.

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<v Speaker 2>Thank you, Alec.

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<v Speaker 1>I know this is really hard for you, and heart

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<v Speaker 1>doesn't seem like a big enough word to be honest,

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<v Speaker 1>thank you so much for just trying to get through this,

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<v Speaker 1>and I hear this emotion.

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<v Speaker 2>It's still very raw.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, but we you know, we we tried to do

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<v Speaker 3>what we could. It was it was surreal. I mean

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<v Speaker 3>people that earlier that day, my lovely neighbor who makes

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<v Speaker 3>dog food had just dropped drop dog food off for us,

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<v Speaker 3>and a couple of hours later, I'm squirting her porch

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<v Speaker 3>down trying to stop her house from burning down. It

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<v Speaker 3>was absolutely surreal for us. Yeah, yeah, it was. And

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<v Speaker 3>so I stayed until basically I could tell my house

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<v Speaker 3>was catching on fire, and I turned around and my

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<v Speaker 3>car was about to catch on fire. And I knew

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<v Speaker 3>I had to go, and there just wasn't anything we

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<v Speaker 3>could do at that point. You know, my my entire

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<v Speaker 3>street was on fire, and if I stayed any longer,

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<v Speaker 3>I was going to be trapped. And so I left.

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<v Speaker 3>The l City guys, the CalFire guys, they all had

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<v Speaker 3>to leave to If you walked through our park, you

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<v Speaker 3>would find remnants of hose where they had to just

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<v Speaker 3>ditch them and flee for their own live which is

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<v Speaker 3>not the wing we normally do as firefighters. This fire

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<v Speaker 3>was different, and those guys really pushed themselves and tried

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<v Speaker 3>to save our park as best they could. I really

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<v Speaker 3>have a lot of respect for both CalFire and LSD

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<v Speaker 3>for trying to save our park.

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<v Speaker 1>Thank you for saying that, because there have been quite

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<v Speaker 1>a few questions that have arisen out of the fires

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<v Speaker 1>across other than California about the firefighting effort. There were

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<v Speaker 1>communities or neighbors neighborhoods where people said, you know, they

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<v Speaker 1>didn't see a truck or the truck didn't stay very long.

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<v Speaker 1>And I appreciate you speaking about your experience because it

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<v Speaker 1>does dispel any myth that may be growing out of

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<v Speaker 1>this that firefighters weren't trying.

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<v Speaker 3>Oh no, they were trying, these guys. I mean they

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<v Speaker 3>had already been fighting it for a couple hours when

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<v Speaker 3>they came into my park, and these guys pushed it

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<v Speaker 3>to the limit. I mean they were there after I left.

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<v Speaker 3>Like I said, I had to go because my car

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<v Speaker 3>was going to catch on fire, and they were still there,

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<v Speaker 3>and I'm sure they had leave shortly after. And Tiffany,

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<v Speaker 3>there was just nothing we could do. I you know,

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<v Speaker 3>I was on the Woldy in twenty eighteen in Malibu.

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<v Speaker 3>This fire was completely different. It was like a hurricane

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<v Speaker 3>with fire and it you couldn't there was nothing to do.

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<v Speaker 3>I hate to say it that way, but they really were.

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<v Speaker 3>We tried. I tried so hard, but I you know,

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<v Speaker 3>if we would have lost. It's amazing to me that

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<v Speaker 3>we didn't lose any firefighters in this, in this uh

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<v Speaker 3>these fires, because.

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<v Speaker 2>Just what happened unprecedented is the word that people are saying.

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<v Speaker 3>Absolutely, and you know, it's weird to be on the

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<v Speaker 3>civilian side of this. I was off duty that day,

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<v Speaker 3>and I just kudos to all the guys that were

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<v Speaker 3>out there working and really putting their lives on the line,

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<v Speaker 3>trying to save people's properties.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm going to ask you a two part question.

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<v Speaker 1>You've so graciously and humbly walked us through the faithful

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<v Speaker 1>events of that day and into that night, as the

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<v Speaker 1>Palisades fire took over your community, the Tahitian Terris. We're

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<v Speaker 1>talking to Fire Captain Alec Edwards, a resident himself of

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<v Speaker 1>the Tahitian Terrace. Where are you now? Where are you

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<v Speaker 1>and your family now? And are there plans? Are their

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<v Speaker 1>hopes that you'll be able to return?

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<v Speaker 3>So we were fortunate enough to find an apartment in

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<v Speaker 3>Santa Monica, near where I grew up. We just got

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<v Speaker 3>very lucky, and so my family as of now is

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<v Speaker 3>safe and comfortable and we're okay, but we want to rebuild.

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<v Speaker 3>We have our whole community, if we're still a community,

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<v Speaker 3>even though we don't have our houses. We have a

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<v Speaker 3>great hoa led by some wonderful people, and they've kept

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<v Speaker 3>us all in touch and we all want to come back.

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<v Speaker 3>We we don't know if it'll ever be the same,

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<v Speaker 3>but we're going to try to make it, make it

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<v Speaker 3>what it was. We've been in touch with our council member,

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<v Speaker 3>Tracy Park. She wants us back and we're we're all

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<v Speaker 3>ready to rebuild and try to come back there as

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<v Speaker 3>soon as possible, because that's home, and that was it

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<v Speaker 3>was a jewel, and it was a community and a

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<v Speaker 3>neighborhood and just a wonderful place to live. We all

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<v Speaker 3>want to come back, and I hope you do.

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<v Speaker 1>I really hope that you are able, like the other

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<v Speaker 1>mobile home communities in the Palisades are able to in

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<v Speaker 1>fact rebuild because they are so special and they are

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<v Speaker 1>so uniquely a part of not only the Southern California

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<v Speaker 1>landscape there in the Palisades on the coast, but they're

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<v Speaker 1>just they're helpful. They're helpful for people who want that

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<v Speaker 1>slice of home ownership where it may not have been

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<v Speaker 1>afforded to them before, and these these developments really gave

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<v Speaker 1>people that opportunity. Alec Where can people keep up with

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<v Speaker 1>what you are doing? Maybe stay abreast through you of

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<v Speaker 1>what you may need to get back into your community,

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<v Speaker 1>any sort of news you want to share about the

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<v Speaker 1>redevelopment or rebuilding process.

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<v Speaker 2>Where can people keep up with you?

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<v Speaker 3>The only Times article, I think she's going to be

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<v Speaker 3>doing a series of keeping up with us. If anyone

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<v Speaker 3>has a generosity in their heart and wants to donate.

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<v Speaker 3>There is a go fundme for the residents of our park.

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<v Speaker 3>A lot of people, like you said, we're retired on

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<v Speaker 3>fixed incomes, and there is going to be updates on news.

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<v Speaker 3>If anyone wants to just google Tahitian Terrists go fund me,

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<v Speaker 3>they'll find it. And that money goes directly to people

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<v Speaker 3>fill out a form, and it's the residents that were

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<v Speaker 3>lower income or fixed income that need help. A lot

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<v Speaker 3>of us were under insured and so some of us

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<v Speaker 3>are going to be owing more on our mortgages than

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<v Speaker 3>our insurance is going to cover us. So all that

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<v Speaker 3>money goes to just helping us rebuild and come back

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<v Speaker 3>and be part of the community that we were before.

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<v Speaker 3>So yeah, and there'll be updates on that, I'm sure, Alec.

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<v Speaker 1>I wish you all the best, buddy, I love you,

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<v Speaker 1>I am here for you, and you are welcome back

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<v Speaker 1>anytime too, KFI to talk about what you're going through

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<v Speaker 1>and what you need.

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<v Speaker 3>Okay, Tiffany are the best. I love you so much.

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<v Speaker 2>Thank you for all your friend Shure, You're so welcome