How to help and what you need to know
The most destructive wildfire in Los Angeles history began Tuesday in the coastal Pacific Palisades neighborhood. As of Thursday morning, over 27,000 acres have burned following the unprecedented growth of the Palisades wildfire as well as the cropping up of at least three other significant blazes: the Eaton fire, located in the Pasadena and Angeles National Forest areas; the Sunset Fire, located in the Hollywood Hills; and the Hurst fire, located in Sylmar.
Tens of thousands of Los Angeles residents have been forced to evacuate their homes, and at least 1,000 structures have been confirmed to be destroyed. “This is a tragic time in our history here in Los Angeles, but a time when we’re really tested and see who we really are,” said Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell at a press conference.
What to know if you’re in Los Angeles:
- Santa Ana winds, which caused the rapid spread and intensification of the fires, are expected to pick back up on Thursday night through Friday morning. Red flag warnings have been extended for Los Angeles County.
- Stay up to date on the fires’ movements and be prepared to evacuate. Many Los Angeles residents are recommending the app Watch Duty, which has a live map of fire locations, the latest evacuation orders and warning-sound notifications to keep you aware of the developments in your area.
- Residents in the Pasadena and Pacific Palisades areas have been warned that their water is unsafe for drinking or cooking due to contamination from fire debris. Only use bottled or boiled tap water.
Read More: Emergency Event Maneuvers
- Pack a go bag, and be sure to include as many of these items as possible: food and water, an emergency blanket, a flashlight, a battery bank and phone charger cable, a first aid kit, a list of emergency phone numbers, medication and/or prescription glasses, sturdy shoes, at least one item of layered clothing, hand sanitizer, personal documents such as deeds and identification, and pet food if necessary. Click here for a full list of recommended items.
- Let others know where you are. Share your live location with friends and family; if you are unsure of how to do so, click here for iPhone instructions and here for WhatsApp instructions.
- If you are among the nearly 70,000 Los Angeles residents without power, conserve your phone battery by lowering your screen brightness, turning off location services in non-emergency notification apps, disabling vibrations, enabling auto-brightness and shortening screen timeout.
What to know if you have friends, family or colleagues in evacuation zones:
- Request their locations and regularly check in with live maps of fire movements.
- If they do not have power, limit your communication to a need-to-know basis to conserve phone battery and battery banks. If possible, keep in touch over text rather than calls.
Ways to help:
- The California Fire Foundation partners with local organizations to provide support to those affected by wildfires, both in the short and long term.
- World Central Kitchen has set up Southern California stations to assist first responders and evacuees.
- GoFundMe has published a searchable landing page for fundraisers by and for those affected by the fires.
- For meeting profs, the SEARCH (Special Event Assistance, Relief and Crisis Help) Foundation is raising funds to assist those in the industry who have been affected.
