Resources to help people impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires

Last updated: 2025-01-15 @ 16:08

I have found it frustratingly difficult to find high-quality, trustworthy information as things were unfolding with the fires so I am assembling a bunch of resources that I will be updating regualrly. Feel free to direct people here or copy the info and publish it elsewhere, in part or in its entirety.

Los Angeles County Resources

• LAFD News
• LAFD Palisades Fire Info
• LA County Incident Response
• CalFire Current Emergency Incidents

Other Resources

• FEMA News Release: As Coordinated Wildfire Response Efforts Continue, FEMA Encourages Californians to Apply for Aid
• Apply for FEMA assistance
• Call the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362
• Mutual Aid Los Angeles Resources (Google Sheets) has resources such as shelter info, animal boarding info, addresses for distribution centers, volunteer opportunities and more.
• Listings Project is a community offering free access to carefully vetted real estate, job, and services offered listings weekly. It is not specific to the fires, but may be helpful.
• LA Fire Hotel Availability (Google Sheets) has an updated list of hotels with instructions for how to get deeply discounted and potentially free rooms if you are displaced.
• Support Artists Affected by the LA Wildfires + Resources for Artists (Google Sheets)
• List of people in the music community that have been displaced with links to GoFundMe pages and contact info (Google Sheets)
• List of displaced Black families with links to GoFundMe pages (Google Sheets)
• List of displaced Latine families with links to GoFundMe pages (Google Sheets)
• List of displaced Filipino families with links to GoFundMe pages (Google Sheets)
• Venice Helping Hub has resources for evacuees and people wanting to volunteer
• Mailing list for donated goods available at Kalon
• Brands providing products to families impacted by the fires (Google Sheets)
• Resources for helping children impacted by the fires (Google Docs)
• Therapists offering pro bono therapy (Google Sheets)

Volunteers Needed

• SPACES Donation Center and Volunteer Registration
• Venice Helping Hub
• Young and Healthy and The Shops at Mission Village is looking for volunteers to help with donations the weekend of January 18th

Maps

• South Coast AQMD
• AirNow Fire & Smoke Map
• LA County Recovers - Palisades Fire Recovery Information
• CalTrans QuickMap is especially helpful as a source of truth for road closures and transportation info, which may be more current and accurate than Google Maps or Apple Maps.
• FIRMS (Fire Information for Resource Management Systems) US/Canada distributes Near Real-Time (NRT) active fire data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Aqua and Terra satellites, and the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) aboard S-NPP, NOAA 20 and NOAA 21 (formally known as JPSS-1 and JPSS-2). Globally these data are available within 3 hours of satellite observation, but for the US and Canada active fire detections are available in real-time.

Apps

• Watch Duty - iOS

  Android

• Scanner Radio - iOS

  Android

Advice & Guidance

• Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Fire Recovery Guidance for Residents and Businesses
• National Center for Healthy Housing Emergency Preparedness and Response for Wildfires - Once a wildfire has subsided, there is often a lot to do to clean up and repair the damage. The resources on this page will guide you through the considerations and steps that people in areas affected by wildfires will face.
• Caution: Fire Ash in Home Gardens (PDF)
• United Policyholders Claim Guidance Library - UP is a non-profit 501(c) (3) organization whose mission is to be a trustworthy and useful information resource and an effective voice for consumers of all types of insurance in all 50 states.
• United Policyholders 2025 California Wildfires Insurance Claim and Recovery Help This page includes resources for the January 2025 Palisades Fire, Eaton Fire, and Hurst Fire in Los Angeles County.
• Legal Aid Disaster Resource Center has a California Wildfires and Straight-line Winds resource page with helpful information and guidance on applying for assistance.
• Coalition for Clean Air is a great general resource that also has helpful wildfire smoke and safety resources.

Fact Checking

• Fact Check: Did Los Angeles Cut Fire Department Funding by $17.6M?
• FEMA rumor debunking

Originally published on January 14, 2025