Multiple wildfires have burned large swaths of Los Angeles County, charring more than 35,000 acres and damaging or destroying thousands of structures, including homes, schools and businesses. In the first week, more than two dozen people were confirmed dead and more than 150,000 residents were forced to evacuate for safety. More than two weeks after the Los Angeles wildfires began, the Palisades and Eaton fires were more than 70 percent contained, but dry winds continue to spark fires throughout the region, threatening homes and prompting evacuations. The fires are also producing smoke that has spread throughout the region, creating air quality alerts and raising health risks, especially for people with respiratory conditions such as asthma and COPD. Officials also warned residents in many areas not to drink or cook with tap water as the fires had damaged reservoirs and pumps, threatening water quality. Many devastated neighborhoods are inaccessible.
Americares is focused on meeting the health needs in communities devastated by the Los Angeles wildfire crisis. Our teams are delivering medicine, masks, safe drinking water and relief supplies for wildfire survivors throughout southern California. We are also prepared to provide emergency funding and deploy medical staff and disaster mental health specialists as needed.
Americares immediately contacted more than 70 partners throughout the region, including 24 health organizations in Los Angeles that serve low-income, uninsured patients, and deployed an emergency response team to Los Angeles to deliver aid and coordinate shipments.
Partner clinics and local organizations are requesting N95 masks and respiratory and chronic disease medications – critical for people who fled their homes without the medicine they need to maintain their health. In response, Americares is providing respiratory and chronic disease medicine, and has delivered more than 9,000 masks and partnered with Primo Brands to deliver truckloads of water to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank for distribution to area residents. “We are meeting immediate health needs and will continue to help people access health services in the weeks and months to come,” says Americares U.S. Director of Emergency Response Mariel Fonteyn. “The scale of this disaster is immense, and we will provide local health organizations with the resources they need to protect the health of survivors.”
Americares will continue to collaborate with local organizations to provide critical resources to meet immediate and ongoing urgent needs. Help us continue to provide critical aid: Donate to the Los Angeles wildfires today and make a difference in the lives of those in need.