When she had returned after the Eaton fire, much of the Altadena neighborhood was in ruins. Homes and the nearby shops on North Fair Oaks had been destroyed. Her garage and her prized garden were demolished. Her house had been filled with smoke — but it survived, and so did the two massive oaks that sheltered it. She considered it a small miracle.

Business owners in Altadena hope to see the diverse community that their organizations thrived in rise from the ashes.

The challenge of post-fire recovery is one faced by communities around the world. Terms like “build back better” and “managed retreat” are often heard, but what do they mean for people complex making decisions on the ground?

Roosevelt Banks’s home in Altadena, Calif., was destroyed by the California wildfires. Nearly two months later, he’s still awaiting answers from his insurer and living week to week in hotels.

The fires that burned parts of Southern California will likely become the most expensive wildfires in U.S. history. They also burned a scar through historically Black neighborhoods in Altadena.

Altadena Green, an organization run by volunteer arborists, says some trees are being prematurely removed by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.