Where Survivor Community Drives Recovery for All.
(formerly Eaton Fire Survivors Network)
Every Fire Survivor’s Network (EFSN) is a survivor-led non-profit serving 10,000+ survivors and allies of the Eaton and Palisades fires.
We connect survivors to one another and trusted resources, amplify survivor voices, and help unlock the funds families are owed so they can get home.
From a Pickleball Chat to the Nation’s Largest Survivor Recovery Hub.
When the Eaton Fire started, a pickleball WhatsApp group at the Altadena country club transformed into an emergency evacuation network. Neighbors checking on families. Coordinating in real time.
Those acts of love didn't stop when the fire did.
Within a year, it became the Every Fire Survivor's Network, the nation's largest survivor recovery hub. Built by the people who lost the most. Powered by love for our neighbors and our community.
The Insight that Changed Everything.
After the past catastrophic California fires, only 38% of destroyed homes had been rebuilt eight years later.
The biggest predictor of whether families returned home was simple:
Did the money arrive?
Insurance payouts and utility compensation are the two largest financial engines of household wildfire recovery.
When those systems work, communities recover.
When they fail, families fall into debt, displacement, and lifelong instability.
Recovery follows the money.
EFSN moves the money.
How EFSN Accelerates Recovery
Recovery moves when systems deliver. EFSN is built to make that happen faster.
We work through three interconnected pillars. Each one builds on the others, so the impact compounds.
Pillar 1: Connect Survivors to One Another and to Trusted Resources
Recovery is complex. The system is difficult to navigate. Every week, thousands of survivors connect through EFSN to share what's working, get guidance, and move forward together.
Because no one should have to navigate the worst years of their lives alone.
50+ moderated Discord channels where families exchange real-time guidance across every stage of recovery: claims, remediation, housing, financing, rebuilding
Webinars live and on demand covering every aspect of recovery, so you have the information you need when you need it
The EFSN Weekly keeps 10,000+ survivors and allies informed every week on insurance accountability, housing, rebuilding, and the fights shaping whether families get home. Survivors call it the one thing they read every week.
Pillar 2: Grow Survivor Voices and Public Awareness
EFSN is shifting survivors from victims to civic leaders, shaping our own recovery.
The EFSN Survivor Leadership Flywheel:
Connect: Survivors come together. A clear picture of what families need emerges quickly.
Document: Real experiences become credible, factual public information that didn't exist before.
Amplify: We work with trusted media to bring the full story to broader public, institutional, and national audiences.
Accelerate: As awareness grows, survivors gain the knowledge, voice, and leadership to move recovery forward faster.
Coverage includes: CalMatters, NBC News, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, ABC News, New York Times, CBS News, Fox News.
National journalists have told us: 'Without EFSN, we would no longer be covering the L.A. fires.'"
Pillar 3: Improve Accountability So Funds Reach Families Faster
Recovery depends on whether funds move. EFSN gathers and organizes thousands of survivor experiences to identify exactly where processes slow down or break down, then turns that lived experience into clear, credible information that makes gaps visible to the institutions that can act on them.
This coordinated approach has already helped move $100M+ in insurance payments directly into survivor bank accounts.
“For nearly ten months, I had to pause my business to fight my insurer full-time. Then, thanks to EFSN’s work, they agreed to pay our full claim, about $2.5 million.
Now that my family has received this payment, I want to help other families do the same. EFSN is putting real money back into survivors’ pockets and helping families rebuild their lives.”
— Palisades Fire Survivor
Our Leadership
Every member of our leadership team is a survivor. We started EFSN out of love for our neighbors.
We bring decades of leadership across business, media, and public policy to the fight to get families home.
Meet the Team
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Joy Chen
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Former Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles. 30+ years of leadership across global business, media, and public policy.
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Matt Craig
MANAGING DIRECTOR
CEO of Blink Media. Former Wall Street Journal editor.
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Reina Pomeroy
MANAGING DIRECTOR
Co-founder of Marshall Together, the Colorado wildfire recovery organization.
"When systems failed, this community — through the Every Fire Survivor's Network — stepped up to support one another. That is what leadership looks like. Wildfire survivors deserve nothing less than California's full support."
— Senator Sasha Renée Pérez
Founding Advisory Council
A founding advisory council provides strategic guidance across the systems that shape recovery
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Larry Midler
Former General Counsel, CBRE
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Pastor Amara Ononiwu
Director of Fire Recovery, Clergy Community Coalition
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Alyson Sattler
Executive Director, WHH Foundation
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Walter Sweet
Co-CEO, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors
A Growing Network of Partners
250+ nonprofits.
150+ faith leaders.
Local, county, state, and federal agencies.
One shared goal: helping families get home.
Partners include survivor organizations, nonprofits, consumer advocates, faith leaders, government agencies, and recovery experts across California.
Support This Work
EFSN is survivor-led and powered by love.
We help families access the money, resources, coordination, and accountability needed to rebuild and return home faster. If you believe recovery should be accessible to everyone, we invite you to support this work.
EFSN is a nonprofit fiscally sponsored by Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE), a 501(c)(3). Donations are fully tax-deductible.