Red Cross helping wildfire victims now; will continue to offer support in weeks and months to come

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American Red Cross Search and Serve volunteer teams were in Malibu to distribute relief supplies and water to residents in neighborhoods affected by the California wildfires. Supplies include PPEs (masks, protective body suits, gloves), clean-up kits, tarps, snacks and water. Photo by Jason Colston/American Red Cross

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Red Cross volunteer John Crepeau delivers water to residents in Malibu as part of the Search and Serve team delivering relief supplies to residents whose homes were affected by the California wildfires. Supplies include PPEs (masks, protective body suits, gloves), clean-up kits, tarps, snacks and water. Photo by Jason Colston/American Red Cross

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Red Cross volunteers were on the ground in Malibu to distribute relief supplies to residents driving through a re-entry check point before coming back to their homes. Supplies include PPEs (masks, protective body suits, gloves), clean-up kits, tarps, snacks and information about Red Cross financial assistance. Photo by Jason Colston/American Red Cross

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As residents returned to their Malibu neighborhoods to examine the damage left behind by the fires, Red Cross volunteers were there, distributing relief supplies to residents driving through a re-entry check point before returning to their homes. Supplies include PPEs (masks, protective body suits, gloves), clean-up kits, tarps, snacks and information about Red Cross financial assistance. Photo by Jason Colston/American Red Cross

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Red Cross volunteers joined partners from CERT (Community Emergency Response Team), and disaster relief organization Team Rubicon to unload relief supplies for residents driving through a re-entry check point before returning to their Malibu homes. Supplies include PEs (masks, protective body suits, gloves), clean-up kits, tarps, snacks and water. Photo by Jason Colston/American Red Cross

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Red Cross Volunteer Graham Woody delivers supplies to Santa Monica residents as they line up to return to their homes. These supplies included Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as masks, work gloves, safety suits, cleaning wipes, and water, as well as information on American Red Cross financial assistance and other services available to them. Graham, a volunteer in the Los Angeles Region since 2001, has deployed on several national disaster responses, taught Red Cross training courses, and worked as a Disaster Action Team member in his local community.

A resident of Santa Monica, Graham didn’t have to evacuate during the Palisades fire, although several of his friends lost their homes. He was part of the team at the distribution site in Santa Monica, providing supplies to residents as they return to their homes. Being a part of this response means so much to Graham, as he explains: “It brings me to literal tears to see all of these people and be able to help them out and be there for somebody on their worst days… it’s the humanity in all of it.” Photo by Jason Colston/American Red Cross

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Red Cross Volunteer Lori Piggott delivers supplies to residents as they line up to return to their homes in Santa Monica. These supplies include Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as masks, work gloves, safety suits, cleaning wipes, and water, as well as information on Red Cross financial assistance and other services available to them. A volunteer from Northern Michigan, Lori was overtaken with emotion while helping. “I love my job because I am able to connect with people personally and give them information and support. It means so much to me,” she said. Photo by Jason Colston/American Red Cross

January 31, 2025

As January draws to a close, the two massive fires that destroyed more than 16,000 structures in California are almost out, but for those impacted, recovery is just beginning. The American Red Cross is working around the clock to support them, and alongside our partners, we’ll continue to be there for weeks and months to come.

STORIES FROM THE FIRES

USEFUL LINKS:

Get Red Cross help.
Visit 211LA for help and resources
Become a volunteer.
Help find a missing loved one.
Apply for FEMA assistance.
Schedule a blood donation.
Go to CA.gov/LAfires for state, local and federal resources.
LA Region Facebook
LA Region X
LA Region Instagram

RED CROSS RESPONSE Hundreds of Red Crossers are providing support in California for those coping with the wildfires, including some 450 people staying in emergency shelters. So far, the Red Cross has provided more than 14,500 overnight stays in shelters and, with our partners, more than 128,000 meals and snacks. As communities reopen, Red Crossers are there with support including cleaning supplies, flashlights, face masks, gloves, water and other essentials. More than 102,000 relief items have already been provided.

The Red Cross is providing financial assistance to residents who lived within the fire perimeters of Eaton, Palisades, Hurst, and Kenneth as defined by Cal OES. If you receive a call, text or email from the Red Cross, please follow the instructions provided in the message. If you lived within the fire perimeters and aren’t sure you received a message, please call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to sign up. To learn more about financial assistance, please visit redcross.org/gethelp.

HOW YOU CAN HELP We need your support. Help people affected by wildfires in California in 2025 by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or texting the word CAWILDFIRES to 90999 to make a donation. Your donation enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from these disasters.

The combination of wildfires and dangerous winter weather has led to Red Cross blood drive cancelations and the loss of several thousand lifesaving blood donations. Donors of all blood types — particularly type O negative blood donors and those giving platelets — are needed to help save lives. Where it is safe to do so, we encourage people to schedule a blood donation appointment by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Our team is working through a high volume of volunteer applications. To get involved, go to https://www.redcross.org/volunteer and sign up today so we can connect you with specific areas of need in your community.

Red Cross shelters cannot accept donations of goods at this time. Please call 211 or visit https://211la.org/LA-Wildfires to find out which organizations are accepting these types of donations. Due to health code regulations, Red Cross shelters cannot accept donations of homecooked meals or food items not prepared in a commercial kitchen.

A new study, supported by the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, found that the climate crisis increased the likelihood and intensity of the hot, dry and windy conditions that fueled the wildfires. As disasters are becoming more frequent and intense, the number of relief operations the American Red Cross is launching for major disasters has nearly doubled over the last decade.

Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) Through the generosity of our American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) and Disaster Responder members, the American Red Cross is prepared before disaster strikes. ADGP and Disaster Responder members help secure a reliable funding base for disaster relief services that enables the Red Cross to respond immediately, meeting the needs of individuals and families affected by

Mission Leader Members: Amazon; American Airlines; The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints; Costco Wholesale; State Farm; Truist Foundation

ADGP $1M Members: Anheuser-Busch Foundation; Bank of America; Caterpillar Foundation; Chobani; CMA CGM Foundation; Delta Air Lines; Elevance Health Foundation; Enterprise Mobility Foundation; FedEx; Lilly Endowment Inc.; Lowe's Companies, Inc.; McDonald’s Corporation; Merck; Microsoft; Nationwide Foundation; The Pfizer Foundation; Six Four Foundation; The Starbucks Foundation; Takeda; VSP Vision; Walmart and the Walmart Foundation; Wells Fargo

ADGP $500k Members: ALDI; Altria Group; American Express; Aon; Baxter International Foundation; Boeing; Bread Financial; Capital One; Chick-fil-A; Citi Foundation; The Clorox Company; Danaher Foundation; Darden Foundation; Delta Dental; DHL Supply Chain; Edison International; Energy Transfer/Sunoco Foundation; Ford Philanthropy; Fox Corporation; GE Aerospace; General Motors; Google.org; HCA Healthcare; The Home Depot Foundation; The J.M. Smucker Company; Johnson Controls Foundation; ; The Kraft Heinz Company Foundation; The Kroger Co. Foundation; Liberty Mutual Insurance; Lockheed Martin Corporation; Mastercard; Mondelēz International Foundation; New Balance Foundation; Paul Davis Restoration; PayPal; PepsiCo Foundation; PetSmart Charities; Southeastern Grocers Gives Foundation & Southeastern Grocers, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie; Stryker; Suburban Propane; Target; The TJX Companies, Inc.; Toyota; United Airlines; UPS; USAA; U.S. Bank Foundation; Visa Foundation; The Walt Disney Company; The Wawa Foundation; Wesco; Zoetis Foundation

Disaster Responder Members: 7-Eleven Cares Foundation; Adobe Foundation; The AES Corporation; Albemarle Corporation; The Allstate Foundation; American Tire Distributors; American Water Charitable Foundation; Ameriprise Financial; Assurant; AvalonBay Communities, Inc.; Avangrid Foundation; Barclays; Bath & Body Works;; Build-A-Bear Foundation; Canadian National Railway; CarMax; CDW; Charles Schwab Foundation; Cisco and Cisco Foundation; CNA Insurance; The Coca-Cola Foundation; The Deluxe Foundation; DENSO North America Foundation; The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation; Discover; Dollar General; Dollar Tree and Family Dollar; Duke Energy; Erie Insurance; Equitable; Fifth Third Foundation; FirstEnergy Corporation; Harbor Freight Tools Foundation, LLC;; HP Foundation; International Paper; Invitation Homes; Johnson & Johnson Foundation; Keurig Dr Pepper; Kimberly-Clark Corporation; L’Oréal; The Labcorp Charitable Foundation; Lenovo ; LKQ; Macy’s, Inc.; Major League Baseball; Marathon Petroleum Corporation; Martin Marietta; Masco Corporation; McKesson Foundation; MetLife Foundation; Neiman Marcus Group; NextEra Energy, Inc.; Norfolk Southern; Northrop Grumman Foundation; Northwestern Mutual; Novartis; Old Dominion Freight Line; Pacific Life Foundation;; Prudential; Raymond James; RBC Foundation USA; Reckitt; Reliance, Inc.; Reynolds American Inc.; RTX; Ryder System, Inc.; Salesforce; Santander Bank and Santander Consumer USA Foundation Inc. ; Security Finance’s Lending Hand Foundation; ServiceNow; Southwest Airlines; Stanley Black & Decker; Stephens; Tennant Foundation; U-Haul International; Ulta Beauty Charitable Foundation; US Foods; Yum! Brands; Zurich

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.