Extreme Weather Survivors Nationwide Midterm Tour Turns to LA with Evening of Survivor Stories and Community Action
EWS’ Stolen Summers voter engagement tour brought artists and wildfire survivors together for theater and live music, calling on elected officials to prioritize disaster-impacted communities
Photos of the event are available ONLINE HERE. Credit: Mykle Parker
LOS ANGELES — On Thursday, October 22, Extreme Weather Survivors (EWS) took its nationwide Stolen Summers voter engagement tour to Los Angeles for “From Ashes We Gather: An Evening of Survivor Stories” at East West Players’ David Henry Hwang Theater. The tour’s event featured a theatrical performance drawn from the lived experiences of Eaton Fire survivors interspersed with live music exploring the human cost of extreme weather, the loss of homes and community connections, and the ongoing work of rebuilding. Altadena fire survivor Gayle Nicholls-Ali; composer, musician, and survivor Rasheed Ali with 91001; and actors and survivors Daniel Moises, Elisa Nixon, and Julia Grob performed the stories of fellow survivors as curated play in conjunction with Cornerstone. Special guests musicians rounded out the night: Medusa, Rhythms of the Village, Zaire & Cousin PJ and more.
“Losing our home in the Eaton Fire was devastating, but seeing how our local school and community immediately rallied around us proved how resilient Angelenos are when crisis hits,” said retired high school teacher and Eaton Fire survivor Gayle Nicholls-Ali. “I love this community deeply and want to see our families come home, but as time passes, it feels like our struggles are slipping out of the public eye. We can’t rebuild on goodwill alone. We need lawmakers and the government to provide the long-term disaster relief funding we were promised.”
“We started Extreme Weather Survivors to ensure no community is left to navigate the aftermath of climate disaster by themselves, and wrapping up our national Stolen Summers tour in Los Angeles following the Eaton Fire drives that purpose home,” said Sierra Lindsey Kos, co-founder and co-executive director of Extreme Weather Survivors. “Families across LA who lost everything deserve swift disaster relief, not bureaucratic stalls. At our final campaign stop, we brought these local struggles to the forefront to show lawmakers that our collective voice will not be sidelined. I believe that real change doesn’t happen without stories, music, and art. And this event ensured that these stories are shared in ways that drive change.”
Bringing together artists, musicians, wildfire survivors, and community members, the evening is part of the group’s cross-country effort to mobilize extreme weather survivors ahead of the midterm elections and ensure their experiences inform the policies that shape everything from the energy we use for recovery from disasters. The Los Angeles event focused on themes driving the Stolen Summers campaign: what politicians and corporations are stealing from us by refusing to acknowledge what they see with their own eyes—the rising frequency, severity, and geographic reach of extreme weather. Extreme weather survivors are the fastest-growing population in the US today, and that means we need elected officials listening to us.
During the evening, EWS and Eaton Fire survivor Gayle Nicholls-Ali each received a congressional recognition for their “unwavering dedication to uplift the Altadena community.”
From a community concert marking the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene in North Carolina to conversations with disaster survivors across the country, the tour created opportunities for communities to share their experiences and call for action. Each stop reinforced the need for support that extends beyond immediate disaster relief, calling on lawmakers to address the lengthy and expensive process of rebuilding in the wake of extreme weather.
Photo assets from last night’s event can be found HERE. Credit: Mykle Parker.
