Nina Dobrev has revealed she is experiencing “survivor’s guilt” after being forced to evacuate during the devastating Los Angeles fires, but ultimately returning to find her home unscathed.
The 36-year-old XXX: Return of Xander Cage actor had to leave home on January 9, her birthday, due to the proximity of the deadly wildfires.
In a video posted to Instagram on Saturday (January 18), Dobrev said: “It’s been such a tragic time in Los Angeles recently.”
She continued: “I have been absolutely sick to my stomach with all the destruction and devastation that these fires have caused and displaced so many families. My heart is broken for all the people affected by these wildfires.
“We evacuated on January 9th, definitely not how I planned on spending my birthday, but I wanted to make this video to thank everyone for their birthday wishes and to make a request. I don’t know about you, but I have been feeling survivor’s guilt. Our home, although close to one of the fires, thankfully made it but so many others were not so lucky.
“I wanted to help, and while I was overwhelmed and didn’t know how at first, I have since researched and have been seeing online that many of the shelters have enough clothes. Actually, maybe too many clothes. What people really need right now is financial aid to help them get back on their feet and start rebuilding their lives and their homes. The Pacific Palisades, the Altadena-Pasadena community in particular needs it the most.”
Dobrev provided a link to a Google spreadsheet listing families who lost their homes in the fires, adding: “For my birthday this year I went down that list and I donated to those families, and it would be my birthday wish and I would love it if you could do the same, small or big donations, that’s up to you, whatever is within your means.”
She added: “I put myself in the shoes of all these people whose homes have burned down to the ground with their belongings, memories, everything that made them feel safe in the world now gone, and their insurance dropped them. For some of them, the level of tragedy is immeasurable and it’s really hard to comprehend.”
Thousands of Los Angeles residents lost their homes in the Palisades, Eaton, and Hurst fires, including Anthony Hopkins, Anna Faris, Mandy Moore, Ricki Lake and Eugene Levy.
Last October, Dobrev announced her engagement to professional snowboarder Shaun White.
