The Palisades fires are still ravaging Los Angeles and the residents are fighting as hard as they can to stay safe. While most people have managed to evacuate to safe locations, their beloved homes, about 5,000 structures, and totems of memories were turned into ash by the all-consuming fire. Among the affected was also a surfing veteran, and now she is looking to the community to help her out of the tough days.

Kathy “Gidget” Kohner Zuckerman, who was the basis for the iconic Gidget movies, was a surfer herself, who once dominated Malibu’s Surfrider Beach and lost her home in the LA wildfires. Thankfully, both Kathy and her husband have been able to relocate to a safe place in Santa Monica. They aren’t out of the woods yet. However, the elderly couple has found a shoulder to lean on in the surfing community.

Surfing legend gets the community’s backing

An article by the LA Times from January 13 has shared how the former surfer is writing the next chapter of the Gidget series. “At my age, imagine it: The house is gone, the neighborhood is gone, the community is gone,” she is quoted in the article. However, she isn’t left alone in the troubled times, and Zuckerman noted how people have stepped up to stand by the family. “I am so appreciative,” the basis of the popular American fictional character’s inspiration thanked the surfing community.

Furthermore, Zuckerman’s employer, the iconic Pacific Coast Highway eatery, Duke’s Restaurant, has also promised to welcome the former surfing star to her old job as soon as the establishment reopens after the ongoing crisis. Duke’s “Ambassador of Aloha” will resume her office once the wildfires are subdued and life gets back to normal but in the meantime, her surfing comrades are already pulling extra weight to help out.

Renowned community members like Jack McCoy and filmmaker Randy Rarick have contacted Zuckerman to check up on her, while another surfing OG from the 1950s, John Leininger, helped the real-life Gidget with clothes. Naturally, the overwhelming support has filled Kathy’s heart with joy. “With all these calls, I have reentered a world that I left a long time ago, and that community has been just incredible to me,” she admitted. However, while the former surfer has managed to run away with her life, the LA wildfires haven’t been so kind to many of her colleagues.

The LA wildfires haven’t been merciful to anyone

51-year-old Randy Miod, locally known as “The Craw,” lost his life to the destructive fires last week. His unfortunate demise has left a gaping void in the locals of the Pacific Coast Highway. “He loved people. You hear that word thrown around, but he really did,” said Todd Proctor, one of Miod’s many fans. Randy Miod had previously survived several natural disasters while living in his small red cabin, and his fans believe that’s why the surfing legend didn’t care to evacuate when the fires prompted many of his neighbors to do so.

Former Team USA member and Olympic swimmer Gary Hall Jr. also lost his home in the fire. The first Olympic gold medalist with Type 1 diabetes, Hall lost all of his medals and other laurels in the havoc. “Please keep him in your prayers, along with all of the other families devastated by these California fires,” wrote his father on social media, who is also an Olympian himself.

Basketball celebrity Paul George was also among the lamenting who lost his home to the Palisades disaster. The Philadelphia 76ers star wrote on social media, “It’s tough, it’s tough,” as the worst fire in California’s history took away his belongings almost in the blink of an eye. “My heart goes out to them and their families,” said Shaquille O’Neal as he shared how his former home was destroyed in the fire. Do you also have anyone among your friends and family who has had to go through the ordeal? Tell us your message for the survivors in a comment below.