Red Cross providing critical relief services as thousands face unimaginable loss in southern California

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Beverly Turham was watching her neighbor’s ten-week-old dog, Coco, when the wildfires forced her to evacuate, so she brought the dog with her. Red Cross volunteer Alexis Helgeson enjoys a happy moment with them at the Pasadena, California, shelter. Photo by Scott Dalton/American Red Cross

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Eighty-eight-year-old Fay Austin was forced to evacuate her apartment as wildfires swept through her Altadena neighborhood. She told Red Cross volunteer Kim Mailes, “I heard news reports of a wildfire, but I didn’t think it would affect us. Then I looked out the window and saw the flames. I grabbed two bags of what I could and fled. I went to several hotels, but they were all full. Then a policeman told me about the Red Cross shelter. The Red Cross volunteers have been wonderful to me, they’ve met my every need. Most of all, they’ve taken the time to talk to me — and to really, really listen.” Photo by Scott Dalton/American Red Cross

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Red Cross disaster spiritual care volunteer Collene Thompson plays with one-year-old Mia at the Pasadena, California, shelter. Mia’s mother Rosa, was forced to evacuate with her two children as wildfires swept her Altadena neighborhood. Red Cross shelters provide children with a place to play and activities to keep them busy to help parents cope with the challenge of beginning to rebuild their lives. Photo by Scott Dalton/American Red Cross

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Red Cross volunteers are providing hot meals to hundreds of people seeking refuge at the Pasadena, California, shelter. Red Cross shelters provide a safe haven for those affected as they face the challenge of rebuilding their lives. Photo by Scott Dalton/American Red Cross

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Hundreds of Red Cross volunteers from around the country have arrived in California to provide disaster and recovery assistance. Red Cross warehouse volunteers are receiving truckloads of disaster supplies and organizing them for delivery to the hardest hit areas. Pallets of shelter supplies ranging from food and comfort kits to diapers and snacks and medical supplies are arriving in huge quantities to help those affected as they begin to rebuild their lives. Photo by Scott Dalton/American Red Cross

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Kristina Moore had dedicated her life to helping others get their lives back on track, helping drug addicts kick their habit and start all over. But since wildfires destroyed her Altadena, CA, home, she’s starting all over again too. She is staying at a Red Cross shelter as she contemplates a difficult future. “I don’t know where to go from here,” she said, “but it means everything right now to have a safe place for our son. I’m so used to helping others, it’s hard for me to let go right now. But I know this is where I’m supposed to be, and I’m grateful for the Red Cross.” Photo by Scott Dalton/American Red Cross

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Military veteran John Williams didn’t know where to go when wildfires swept through his Los Angeles community. He wound up at a Red Cross shelter, where he found safety and support. “With my medical condition, I have to be treated tenderly and carefully. All the volunteers here have been so compassionate, and they’ve treated me so professionally. I feel so welcome here. People like me are sometimes hesitant to reach out for help and won’t come to a shelter. But you guys are so friendly, and I know I’m welcome and I feel safe.” Photo by Scott Dalton/American Red Cross

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When the order came to evacuate the wildfires, Army veteran Curtis Howard called the Veterans Administration, who picked him up and delivered him to a Red Cross shelter. “I’m a big news-watching person, and I knew it was coming. But I still wasn’t emotionally ready. I’ve been through a lot, everything from homelessness to where I am today, but this one’s been tough. The Red Cross has been so good to me since I’ve been at the shelter. They’ve provided everything — everything — I need. When this is over, I’m going to become a donor to the Red Cross and pay it forward to the next person who needs help after a disaster. I’m a believer in the Red Cross now.” Photo by Scott Dalton/American Red Cross

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Caroline Lee and her dog, Sunny, are staying at a Red Cross shelter after being evacuated. “I’ve been under a lot of stress,” she said. “I never expected something like these wildfires to force me to flee. I started crying, I just couldn’t help it. But I got to the shelter, and the volunteers have been so nice to me. They got medications for my dog, and they’ve been taking good care of me, too. I’m very grateful, and it’s so heartwarming that these Red Cross volunteers have come from all over the country to help.” Photo by Scott Dalton/American Red Cross

January 15, 2025

Food, shelter, emotional support, recovery planning and financial assistance available

It’s been more than a week since the devastating wildfires began and thousands of Californians are struggling to come to grips with their heartbreaking losses. More than 400 American Red Cross workers are supporting them with food, shelter, emotional support, recovery planning and financial assistance.

Tens of thousands of people are still under mandatory evacuation orders and the threat isn’t over as dangerous fire weather conditions continue today. People should remain vigilant, be prepared to evacuate and follow instructions from local officials. Do not return home until officials say it is safe.

RED CROSS RESPONSE Wednesday morning more than 750 evacuees woke up in Red Cross shelters, many of whom are struggling after losing everything. We want people to know that our shelters are a safe place for everyone. We don’t ask for identification, and you don’t have to stay overnight to get help. Find shelter locations on redcross.org, the free Red Cross Emergency app or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767). Anyone who has been affected by the fires is welcome to stop by a shelter to get information, a hot meal, charge their phone, and access other essential support.

Disaster health volunteers are caring for minor injuries and replacing things like eyeglasses and medications for those in our shelters, and mental health workers are providing emotional support to those experiencing unimaginable loss.

Red Cross caseworkers are helping shelter residents plan their next steps and connect them with other community resources. The top priority is housing, but we’re also helping people with transportation, health care, childcare and other needs. We’re working with our partners to expand these services to help people who need extra support that are temporarily staying in short term rentals. In addition, we’re working with local advocates to connect with and offer assistance to people who are undocumented and may not feel comfortable coming to our shelters.

For 16 years Dale and Patricia Fielder built their lives around their Altadena home which has been destroyed by the fires. Read their story and more news from California here.

USEFUL LINKS:

Find a shelter.
Prepare to evacuate.
Get important information about wildfire safety and preparedness.
What should you do during a power outage?
Help find a missing loved one.
Apply for FEMA assistance.
Schedule a blood donation.
Get Red Cross help.

WHERE TO GET HELP The Red Cross is providing financial assistance to impacted households inside the perimeters of the Eaton, Palisades, Hurst, and Kenneth fires. We are actively doing outreach to eligible individuals via email, text message, or phone call directly from the American Red Cross. To learn more about financial assistance for survivors of the recent wildfires, please visit redcross.org/gethelp.

The Red Cross is also providing assistance to help immediate family members travel to California after a death or the hospitalization of a loved one. If you need help, please call 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) to be connected with the Family Travel Assistance Team. For this program, the Red Cross considers an immediate family member to be a parent, spouse, domestic partner, child, sibling, grandparent or direct in-law.

Some people are still trying to find loved ones, and we’ve received hundreds of requests for help. If you need assistance locating a missing loved one because of the fires, we may be able to help. Visit redcross.org/findfamily or reach us at 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). Please provide as much detail as possible to assist us in potentially locating your missing loved one.

If you or a loved one needs help, reach out to the free 24/7 multilingual Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990 for support.

HOW YOU CAN HELP Families are depending on the Red Cross for assistance now, and we need your support. Please help people affected by the 2025 California Wildfires by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or texting the word CAWILDFIRES to 90999 to make a donation. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from these disasters.

As the wildfires continue to burn and affect air quality, the number of Red Cross blood drive cancelations has grown, impacting hundreds of lifesaving blood donations. Plus, dangerous snow and ice conditions in other parts of the country have resulted in lost 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).

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; 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.