How You Can Help Victims of the Los Angeles County Wildfires

There are currently multiple wildfires raging across Los Angeles, with 11 people confirmed dead, more than 100,000 advised to evacuate their homes for safety, and many others across LA County without power. The Palisades fire, covering upwards of 21,000 acres, is now the most destructive fire in the city of Los Angeles’s history.

California governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Tuesday, January 7. A statement from the White House noted that President Biden is “focused on mobilizing life-saving and life-sustaining resources across the region.” He has directed the Department of Defense to move quickly, and provide additional firefighting personnel and capabilities to the state of California. He has declared the incident a Major Disaster, which gives impacted communities and survivors the ability to immediately access funds and resources to aid in their recovery.

As firefighters continue to push back against this horrifying disaster, there are a few things—wherever you are in the world—that you can do to support those affected.

Donate

This week, the Creative Artists Agency’s CAA Foundation joined together with Sean Penn and Ann Lee’s Community Organized Relief Effort (or CORE) and the Los Angeles Unified School District Education Foundation to launch the SoCal Fire Fund, intended to provide “immediate and long-term support for community-centered recovery initiatives that aid students, school employees, and families” affected by the fires. You can donate to the fund here.

The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank is working with government agencies and other nonprofit organizations to respond to the disaster. The food bank is accepting donations of both money and food at its two distribution centers, as well as additional help from volunteers. You can find more information about their work here.

The nonprofit Baby2Baby is providing essential items such as diapers, food, formula, and hygiene products for children and families in Los Angeles in dire need, collaborating with 470 partner organizations—from schools to shelters and hospitals—in LA County. You can donate directly to their disaster and emergency relief program.

The California Fire Foundation is supporting some of the 7,500 firefighting and emergency personnel on the ground right now; you can donate to their efforts directly.

The American Red Cross is responding to people in need of support as they flee the wildfires; you can donate to their efforts here. Their network provides services to more than 10 million residents in 88 cities across Los Angeles County, as well as parts of Ventura County and Kern County. Monetary donations also help to support their two emergency shelters for people impacted by the Palisades fire.

The Animal Wellness Foundation is raising funds to assist in housing and feeding pets that had to be left behind by owners who evacuated. The organization is using an old vet hospital in Marina Del Rey. Donate directly here. (The Canine Rescue Club is doing the same.)

The World Central Kitchen’s Southern California relief team is providing food to evacuated people in need of immediate relief and resources, as well as to responders and emergency personnel on the frontlines. Donate to their efforts here.

Project: Camp, which runs pop-up camps for kids impacted by disaster, is currently working toward multiple camps for families who have been evacuated and lost their homes in the Palisades and Eaton fires. You can donate here. They’re also looking for volunteers to staff the camps.

Pasadena Humane is a nonprofit animal shelter and resource center servicing the Greater Los Angeles Area. As of January 8, the organization has taken in over 300 animals due to evacuations. Many have experienced burns and are injured, with several in the ICU and requiring pain medication, wound care, fluid, and oxygen. The shelter is seeking monetary donations as they anticipate more animals coming in needing emergency care. Find more information here.

Team Rubicon is a veteran-led humanitarian organization that supports communities before, during, and after crises. Their Greyshirt volunteers are equipped to support wildfire survivors with debris and wind damage clean-up in the wake of disaster. The organization is preparing to clear roads for first responders, and assist with sheltering, feeding, and managing volunteers. You can donate to support their efforts here.

Share resources and support services

The Red Cross is providing shelter and support for those currently impacted by the Palisades fire, with an emergency shelter in Westwood Recreation Center (1350 S. Sepulveda, Los Angeles, 90025) for people as well as their domestic family pets. A secondary site, at Pierce College (6201 Winnetka Ave., Woodland Hills, CA 91371), is welcoming larger animals and livestock.

The Red Cross is also sharing wildfire safety instructions and guidance on its site.

Working with 211LA, Airbnb.org is providing free temporary housing for people in the Los Angeles vicinity who has been displaced by fires and needs shelter.

With its grants, the California Community Foundation addresses the growing impact of climate change and the worsening wildfire seasons, particularly on marginalized communities. (The foundation utilizes its own research and the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index to highlight what underserved communities require financial support and assistance.) It’s vital to understand that recovery from such natural disasters can take years, and recognizing the impact on Native American, Muslim, migrant, and non-native English-speaking communities in particular, as well as people with disabilities, children, and the elderly, remains tantamount in the coming times. Read and share their work, and donate.

Several Los Angeles restaurants and food outlets are offering free food to responders and people impacted. They include East Hollywood restaurant Bar Etoile and Yeastie Boys Bagels food trucks in Silver Lake, Studio City, Melrose Place, Los Feliz, Venice, DTLA, Highland Park.

The National Interagency Fire Center has listed maps with real-time wildland fire situational information, including fire perimeters, weather, and fire detections.

Read critically and share mindfully

In times of evolving crisis, it’s important to cite reputable sources. Follow the LA Times’s ongoing, on-the-ground coverage and the New York Times’s live feed.