The Red Cross is helping in Southern California, where thousands are suffering unimaginable loss

The Red Cross is helping in Southern California, where thousands are suffering unimaginable loss

Up to 92,000 people still need to be evacuated as dangerous forest fires recur

As Californians cope with the trauma and massive destruction caused by the wildfires, more than 400 American Red Cross employees are helping ensure no one has to endure this heartbreaking time alone. We work closely with our partners to provide food, shelter, emotional support and other essential assistance.

A week after the fires first broke out, 92,000 people are still subject to mandatory evacuation. The danger has not yet been averted as dangerous fire weather conditions continue to prevail and winds of up to 70 miles per hour are fanning the flames. Many utilities are shut down to prevent new fires. Now is the time for people to remain vigilant, be prepared to evacuate and follow the instructions of local authorities.

RED CROSS RESPONSE On Tuesday morning, more than 700 evacuees woke up in Red Cross shelters, many struggling after losing their belongings. We want people to know that our shelters are a safe place for everyone. We do not require ID and you do not have to stay overnight to receive assistance. Locate shelter locations redcross.orgthe free Red Cross emergency app or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767).

Disaster response volunteers tend to minor injuries and replace items like glasses and medications for those in our shelters, and mental health workers provide emotional support to those suffering unimaginable losses.

Red Cross social workers also help shelter residents create personal plans for their next steps and link them to other community resources. Housing is our top priority, but we also help people with transportation, healthcare, childcare and other needs.

For 16 years, Dale and Patricia Fielder built their lives around their Altadena home, which was destroyed by the fires. Read her story here.

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WHERE YOU CAN GET HELP This is a painful time for those struggling with loss and the uncertainty of what comes next. Some people are still trying to find their loved ones and we have received hundreds of requests for help. If you need help locating a loved one who is missing due to 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 many details as possible to help us possibly locate your missing loved one.

If you or a loved one need assistance, call the free, 24-hour, multilingual Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990 for assistance.

HOW YOU CAN HELP Families now rely on the help of the Red Cross and we need your support. Please help those affected by the 2025 California wildfires by visiting us redcross.orgat 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or text the word CAWILDFIRES to 90999 to make a donation. Your donation allows the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to, and help people recover from these disasters.

As wildfires continue to burn and impact air quality, the number of Red Cross blood drive cancellations has increased, impacting hundreds of life-saving blood donations. Additionally, dangerous snow and ice conditions in other parts of the country have resulted in the loss of donations. To save lives, donors of all blood types are needed – especially negative type O blood donors and those who donate platelets. Where it is safe to do so, we encourage people to make a blood donation appointment via the Red Cross blood donation app RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

It is important to remember that people of all socioeconomic backgrounds are affected by these destructive fires. This is particularly true for people with limited resources, who typically suffer a higher toll after disasters.

The Climate crisis has been one of the main reasons for the increase in wildfire danger in the western United States over the past two decades. As disasters upend lives with increasing frequency and intensity, the Red Cross provides near-continuous food, shelter and reconstruction assistance to support people in need.

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 for disasters. ADGP and Disaster Responder members help create a reliable funding base for disaster relief services, allowing the Red Cross to respond immediately and meet the needs of affected individuals and families

Members of the Heads of Mission: Amazon; American Airlines; The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Costco Wholesale; state farm; Truist Foundation

$1M ADGP 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

$500,000 ADGP Members: ALDI; Altria Group; American Express; Aeon; Baxter International Foundation; Boeing; breadfinancial; 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 JM Smucker Company; Johnson Controls Foundation; ; The Kraft Heinz Company Foundation; The Kroger Co. Foundation; Liberty Mutual Insurance; Lockheed Martin Corporation; MasterCard; Mondelez 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; Goal; The TJX Companies, Inc.; Toyota; United Airlines; UPS; USAA; US Bank Foundation; Visa Foundation; The Walt Disney Company; The Wawa Foundation; Wesco; Zoetis Foundation

Members of the disaster relief workers: 7-Eleven Cares Foundation; Adobe Foundation; The AES Corporation; Albemarle Corporation; The Allstate Foundation; American tire dealers; American Water Charitable Foundation; Ameriprise Financial; assurance; Avalon Bay Communities, Inc.; Avangrid Foundation; Barclays; Bath and 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; Just; Fifth Third Foundation; FirstEnergy Corporation; Harbor Freight Tools Foundation, LLC; HP Foundation; International Paper; invitation houses; 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 South; Northrop Grumman Foundation; Northwestern Mutual; Novartis; Old Dominion Freight Line; Pacific Life Foundation; Caution; Raymond James; RBC Foundation USA; Reckitt; Reliance, Inc.; Reynolds American Inc.; RTX; Ryder Systems, 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 Food; Yummy! brands; Zurich

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