Hundreds take refuge in shelters from two of California’s most destructive wildfires
More than 200 American Red Cross workers are helping southern California residents fleeing from the massive and fast-moving wildfires that have destroyed thousands of homes of all sizes. The Red Cross is focused on making sure everyone has a safe place to stay and no one faces this heartbreaking crisis alone.
The threat isn’t over. The winds will die down today, but they are expected to return next week. It’s critical that people remain vigilant, be prepared to evacuate and follow directives from local authorities as this situation continues to evolve. The two largest fires, Palisades and Eaton, are among the top five most destructive in California’s history, destroying about 10,000 structures according to preliminary CalFire assessments.
It’s important to remember that people from all socioeconomic backgrounds are impacted by these destructive fires. This is especially true for people with limited resources who usually experience a heavier toll after disasters
RED CROSS RESPONSE Hundreds of evacuees woke up in emergency shelters this morning, many of whom are struggling after losing everything. The Red Cross is working closely with our partners to provide safe shelter, food, emotional support and other critical services to those in need.
In shelters, disaster health volunteers are caring for minor injuries and replacing things like eyeglasses and medications while mental health volunteers are providing comfort to those affected. In addition, the organization is mobilizing hundreds more disaster workers to support the wildfire victims and moving truckloads of supplies like cots, blankets and water to be ready to support thousands of people in emergency shelters if needed.
WHERE TO GET HELP Anyone who needs a safe place to stay can find shelters on redcross.orgthe free Red Cross Emergency app or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767). Search “American Red Cross” in app stores or go to redcross.org/apps. You can also follow your local Red Cross or emergency officials on social media, sign up for free local government alerts or monitor local news. We encourage anyone who needs aid to come to a shelter, you don’t have to stay overnight to get help.
Red Cross shelters are open to everyone in need, regardless of race, ethnicity, age, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability or citizenship status. All disaster assistance is free. We don’t require people to show any kind of identification to enter a shelter — just their name and where they were living before the disaster.
If possible, we encourage people who plan to stay in a shelter to bring prescription medications, extra clothing, pillows, blankets, hygiene supplies, other comfort items and important documents. Don’t forget to bring any special items for children, such as diapers, formula and toys, or for family members who have unique needs.
This is a painful time for those grappling with the uncertainty of whether they’ll still have a home or community to return to in the days ahead. Others are battling with what to do next after losing everything. 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.
RECONNECT WITH LOVED ONES If you need assistance locating a missing loved one because of the fires, the Red Cross 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.
HOW YOU CAN HELP People are depending on the Red Cross for aid now and we need your support. 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.
For those interested in helping people specifically affected by the recent wildfires, we ask that they write “California Wildfires 2025” in the memo line of a check and mail it with a completed donation form to the address on the form or to their local Red Cross chapter. Find the donation form at redcross.org/donate.
The climate crisis has been a key driver in increasing the risk of wildfires in the western U.S. during the last two decades. With more frequent and intense disasters upending lives, the Red Cross is providing food, shelter and recovery support on a nearly continual basis to support people in need.
While Red Crossers help in California, preparations are also being made to respond to the massive winter storm affecting millions of people across the South. Learn more here.
USEFUL LINKS:
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
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