Short story.

Days after the 2023 Lahaina fires I flew to Hawaii to provide pro bono legal aid to fire victims navigating everything from home insurance & biz contracts, recovering legal docs, immigration status, & more.  I supported ~50 families, and there was 1 constant theme with each client.

Private equity vultures were contacting and offering them pennies on the dollar for their destroyed properties. Just absolute vultures exploiting people's desperation and depression. I suspect the same will happen in SoCal, & sadly many will capitulate. It's criminal—or at least it should be.

My takeaway: We need better protections for people suffering these disasters. People have lost everything & are not in a state of balance & security. Vultures exploit that fear to make a quick buck. Too few protections exist right now, if any at all. That must change—b/c this isn't sustainable.