A devastating fire brings destruction to a global treasure. Disaster ensues. Recovery is human nature. Rebuilding is a Herculean effort, completed in only a matter of years. The result is a beautiful resurrection. That is the story of the Cathedral Notre Dame de Paris. It can also offer an inspiration highlighting the human fortitude and capacity to recover and repair from disaster.
The Cathedral Notre Dame de Paris
Image Above courtesy Gabrielle Renaudon
Imagine looking out your window towards the view across Paris, only to see the horror above. That is what the Sylvia and Gabrielle Renaudon witnessed along with a shocked world in 2019. After recovering from the disaster, a miracle of regeneration grew from worldwide support and the fortitude of a dedicated team to rebuild the treasure. SwiftEnvirons had the opportunity to visit The Cathedral when it reopened in December 2024. The result is brighter and lighter than before – see our notes below.
The story of the Cathedral is not just a rebuild but a truly beautiful metamorphosis. More detail is available at the official site:
https://rebatirnotredamedeparis.fr/en
Fire in California
This is a wonderful rejuvenation, caused by an apocalyptic fire. But what does this have to do with the second image?
Image above courtesy of Susan Swift
As we returned from Paris and the Cathedral, we entered an unexpected firestorm from the window of our airplane. We live in fire-prone California where CalFire tells us not to think we are immune. Every acre of our state will eventually burn, they warn us. We keep a “Go Bag” and consider ourselves lucky to return to an intact home.
But in January 2025 we had a window seat to an apocalypse.
Fueled by Santa Ana winds, we witnessed the terrible path of the fire in Pacific Palisades. Several of our friends and colleagues lost their homes and our work in the Altadena area brought is contact with so many people impacted by the Eaton Fire. We were routed through the fire zone only a few days later and the devastation was incomparable. We witnessed the charred homes, gardens and vehicles on streets lined with National Guard Humvees across the street from recovery. Every denomination had shelters along the edge. The World Central Kitchen had popped up, along with tents with mountains of water and clothing.
The layers of support and recovery grew quickly. Private benefits and public agencies contributed. The hope and opportunity is in a timely and supportive regeneration of these communities. Time will tell, but this has all the appearances of a rejuvenation of scale, and greater geographic reach, than the Cathedrale de Notre Dame. Hope springs eternal and inspiration is infectious.
Peace.
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