Updated: Saturday, October 5, 2024 | 4:00 p.m. PT
If you have been impacted by the Airport Fire, Bridge Fire or Line Fire and need Red Cross assistance, please call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
SHELTER INFORMATION
ABOUT RED CROSS SHELTERS
- At Red Cross shelters, Red Cross volunteers and partners provide a safe place to stay, along with meals and snacks, hydration, health services and more.
- Everyone is welcome at Red Cross shelters, and anyone affected by a disaster or emergency can always stop by the shelter to access Red Cross services, whether or not they are staying overnight at the shelter.
- As the wildfire continues to grow and impacts additional neighborhoods, these shelters can serve as a cool place to rest, charge devices, pick up meals or gather information. Household pets are also welcome at the shelters with care provided by animal care partners.
- Red Cross shelters remain open for as long as they are needed. The Red Cross is in close contact with emergency management partners to continuously assess response needs.
- Trained Red Cross volunteers and staff remain on call around-the-clock and are ready to assist in various aspects including sheltering, feeding, health services and more.
- Click here to find open Red Cross shelters, learn about what to bring to a Red Cross shelter and more.
WILDFIRE SAFETY TIPS
- You may have to leave your home quickly to stay safe during a wildfire. Know where you will go, how you will get there, and where you will stay. Have different escape routes from your home and community.
- Be prepared to evacuate at a moment’s notice. Listen to local media for updated emergency information and sign up for free emergency alerts from your local government.
- Gather your pets to one room so you can easily grab them and go in the event of evacuation. Keep your animals under close supervision during evacuation.
- Back your car into the garage or park it outside in the direction of your evacuation route.
- If time allows, check your emergency kit and replenish any items missing or in short supply, especially medications and medical supplies. Make sure you include a mask and hand sanitizer with your kit. Keep it in the car.
- When you evacuate or head to a shelter, remember to bring special items for children, like food/formula, diapers, extra clothing, toys, etc.; items for pets, including a leash, pet medications and pet food; prescription medications and medical devices you may need; comfort items like personal hygiene items and pillows, blankets, towels, change of clothing or other items you may want to have with you at the shelter, and remember to bring your cell phone charger or external battery packs as well.
- Don’t wait – evacuate: if you feel threatened or unsafe, you can choose to evacuate at any time. If you receive an official evacuation order, heed the orders of local authorities, and follow instructions.
- Download the free Red Cross Emergency App for safety information and weather alerts right at your fingertips, including what to do before, during and after disasters. The app is available in English and Spanish.
WILDFIRE SAFETY FOR PETS AND ANIMALS
- Please be prepared to evacuate with your pets. If it’s not safe for you to stay in your home during an emergency, it’s not safe for them either!
- If you are near an evacuation area, bring your companion animals indoors and maintain direct control of them.
- Confine pets to one room so you can quickly grab them and go if you need to evacuate.
- When evacuating, consider taking items for your pets including leashes, food, medications, toys or other helpful items to have with you.
- When possible, Red Cross shelter workers will do all they can to accommodate domesticated pets comfortably, however, depending on the situation, pets may need to be housed in a different location with support from animal welfare groups.
- Service animals are always welcome in Red Cross emergency shelters and are not considered pets.
- Click here to find tips for pet preparedness and evacuating with pets.
RETURNING HOME AFTER A WILDFIRE
Safety Basics:
- Wait for officials to say it is safe before going back home.
- Avoid hot ash, charred trees, smoldering debris, and live embers. The ground may contain heat pockets that can burn you or spark another fire.
- Avoid damaged or fallen power lines, poles, and downed wires. They can electrocute you.
- Watch for pits in the ground filled with ash. They may have hot embers underneath that could burn you. Mark them for safety, and warn your family and neighbors to keep clear of the pits.
- Keep an eye on pets to ensure they don’t wander into unsafe areas or hot embers.
How to Clean Up Safely:
- Follow public health rules and wear safety equipment.
- Avoid direct contact with ash.
- Protect yourself against ash when you clean up. Wear gloves, long-sleeved shirts, long pants, shoes and socks to protect your skin. Wear goggles to protect your eyes. Limit how much ash you breathe in by wearing an N95 respirator.
- Wash off ash that gets on your skin or in your eyes or mouth as soon as you can.
- Children, pregnant women, and people with asthma, heart or lung conditions should not breathe in dust from ash.
Tips to Stay Healthy:
- Wildfires can make drinking water unsafe. Check with your local health department about drinking water safety.
- When in doubt, throw it out! Throw out food that was exposed to heat, smoke, fumes, or chemicals.
- Ask your healthcare provider or doctor about using refrigerated medicines.
Take Care of Yourself:
- Disasters are upsetting experiences for everyone involved. It’s normal to have a lot of feelings. When we experience a disaster or other stressful life event, we can have a variety of reactions, all of which can be common responses to difficult situations. Try to accept whatever reactions you may have.
- Eat healthy food and get enough sleep to help you deal with stress.
- You can contact the Disaster Distress Helpline for free if you need to talk to someone at 1-800-985-5990 or text “TalkWithUs’ to 66746.
HOW TO HELP
- Right now, we have all the physical items needed to support those displaced by the fires. We know that people are generous and want to do everything they can to help after a disaster. Our first priority is to provide shelter and immediate support to those affected — and financial donations are the quickest and best way to help those who need it most.
- Financial donations can be used right away to directly help those affected, such as replacing lost items like prescription medications or reading glasses.
- In all cases, due to health code regulations, the Red Cross cannot accept donations of homecooked meals or food items not prepared in a commercial kitchen.
- You can help people affected by disasters like storms and countless other crises by making a gift to Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. Visit redcross.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS to make a donation.
- Your financial donation to the Red Cross helps provide shelter, meals, relief supplies, emotional support, recovery planning and other assistance during disasters.
- If you have a desire to help people impacted by disasters, you can make a significant impact as a Red Cross volunteer. Learn more at redcross.org/volunteer.
UPDATES
Please follow the American Red Cross Southern California Region on X at @SoCal_RedCross for additional information and the latest disaster response updates.
