The Red Cross is helping in Southern California as thousands face unimaginable losses

As many as 92,000 people are still evacuated as dangerous wildfires return

As Californians deal with the trauma and massive destruction from the wildfires, more than 400 American Red Cross workers are helping to ensure that no one faces this heartbreaking time alone. We work closely with our partners to provide food, shelter, emotional support and other critical assistance.

A week after the fires first broke out, as many as 92,000 people are still under mandatory evacuation orders. The threat is not over as dangerous fire weather continues with winds as strong as 70 mph fanning the flames. Many utilities are being shut down to help prevent new fires. Now is the time for people to remain vigilant, be prepared to evacuate and follow instructions from local officials.

RED CROSS RESPONSE On Tuesday morning, more than 700 evacuees woke up in Red Cross shelters, many 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 need to stay overnight to get help. Find shelters at redcross.orgthe free Red Cross Emergency app or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767).

Disaster health volunteers attend to minor injuries and replace things like glasses and medicine for those in our shelters, and mental health workers provide emotional support to those experiencing unimaginable loss.

Red Cross case managers also help shelter residents create personal plans for their next steps and connect them with other community resources. The top priority is housing, but we also help people with transportation, health care, childcare and other needs.

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

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WHERE TO 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 finding a missing relative due to the fire, we may be able to help. Visit redcross.org/findfamily or contact us at 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). Please provide as many details as possible to help us potentially find your missing loved one.

If you or a loved one needs help, you can contact the toll-free 24/7 multilingual Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990 for assistance.

HOW YOU CAN HELP Families now depend on the Red Cross for help and we need your support. Please help people affected by the 2025 California Wildfires by visiting redcross.orgcall 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or text 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 cancellations of Red Cross blood drives has grown, affecting hundreds of life-saving blood donations. In addition, dangerous snow and ice conditions in other parts of the country have resulted in lost donations. Donors of all blood types – especially type O-negative blood donors and those who give platelets – are needed to help save lives. Where it is safe to do so, we encourage people to schedule an appointment to donate blood by using the Red Cross Blood Donor app and visiting RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

It is important to remember that people from all socio-economic backgrounds are affected by these devastating fires. This is especially true for people with limited resources, who usually experience a higher toll after disasters.

The climate crisis has been a key factor in increasing wildfire risk in the western United States over the past two decades. With more frequent and more intense life-changing disasters, the Red Cross provides food, shelter and recovery support on an almost constant basis 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 before disaster strikes. ADGP and Disaster Responder members help ensure a reliable funding base for disaster relief services that enables the Red Cross to respond immediately and meet 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 use; 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 Fund; the Pfizer Foundation; Starbucks Foundation; Takeda; VSP Vision; Walmart and the Walmart Foundation; Wells Fargo

ADGP $500,000 Members: ALDI; Altria Group; American Express; Aon; Baxter International Foundation; Boeing; Bread financial; Capital One; Chicken Fillet-A; Citi Foundation; The Clorox Company; Danaher Foundation; The 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; JM Smucker Company; Johnson Controls Foundation; ; The Kraft Heinz Company Foundation; Kroger Co. the 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; Irons; suburban propane; Goal; TJX Companies, Inc.; Toyota; United Airlines; UPS; USAA; US Bank Foundation; Visa Foundation; The Walt Disney Company; The Wawa Foundation; Wesco; The Zoetis Foundation

Disaster Responder Members: 7-Eleven Cares Foundation; Adobe Foundation; AES Corporation; Albemarle Corporation; 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 the Cisco Foundation; CNA Insurance; The Coca-Cola Foundation; Deluxe Foundation; DENSO North America Foundation; DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation; Discover; Dollar General; Dollar Tree and Family Dollar; Duke Energy; Erie Insurance; Fair; 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; 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;; 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; American foods; Yum! Brands; Zurich