Photo: Getty Images
Currently, there at least five wildfires raging across Los Angeles. Amid this devastating disaster, five people have been confirmed dead and 130,000 people have been advised to evacuate their homes for safety. More than 1.2 million people are without power, with a further 440,000 facing similar conditions. Some 1,900 buildings and structures have also been confirmed destroyed.
The five most significant fires, fuelled by strong Santa Ana winds, are Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, Lidia, and Sunset. The Palisades fire, covering at least a monumental 17,234 acres, is now the most destructive fire in the city of Los Angeles’s history. A smaller fire, the Woodley fire, is burning but reportedly under control, while the Olivas fire in Venture County was extinguished on Wednesday, January 8.
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.
Communities and landmarks remain under dire threat. Beloved neighborhood shops and restaurants have been destroyed, such as Malibu’s Cholada Thai, and iconic landmarks like the Hollywood sign and Griffith Observatory, the TCL Chinese Theatre, and the Hollywood Walk of Fame are in the path of encroaching flames.
The fires also arrive during the thick of the city’s award season, with the Critics Choice Awards—originally set to take place this coming Sunday—postponed by two weeks. Several premieres, including that of Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl, have also been canceled. Additionally, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has postponed the announcement of Oscar nominations to “give members more time to cast their ballots,” while other entertainment events worldwide have been canceled in solidarity. Celebrities including Paris Hilton, Billy Crystal, and couple Leighton Meester and Adam Brody have reported the loss of their homes.
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
Los Angeles Regional Food Bank
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 California Fire Foundation
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.
Baby2Baby
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.
Red Cross
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.
Animal Wellness Foundation
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.
World Central Kitchen
The World Central Kitchen’s Southern California relief team is providing sandwiches and water to evacuated people in need of immediate relief and resources, as well as to responders and emergency personnel on the frontlines. Pasadena Convention Center is their main hub; donate to their efforts here.
Share resources and support services
Red Cross shelters
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.
Airbnb
Working with 211LA, Airbnb.org is providing temporary housing for anyone in the Los Angeles vicinity who has been displaced by fires and needs shelter.
California Community Foundation
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.
LA restaurants offering free food
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.
Wildfires maps
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.
This article was originally published on Vogue.com.
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