Featured image credit: CAL FIRE_Official
We are in the midst of the most destructive series of Los Angeles fires in the city’s history. And there are no words to summarize the fear, horror, and grief associated with this tragedy so we won’t insult you by trying. But what we can do is try to answer some of the most common questions you’re likely having during this unprecedented city crisis.
Stay Aware with a Disaster Response App
One of the most important precautions we can take is maintaining awareness of the situation as it develops. And it’s developing quickly. We recommend downloading one of the numerous apps designed to track the spread of the fire. These apps take care of our number one priority, personal safety, by keeping us updated with the latest evacuation warnings and orders.
If you don’t already have a favorite selected, we recommend the WatchDuty app. With impressively quick updates (we’ve watched the WatchDuty app outpace news outlets on multiple occasions), this non-profit app touts itself as the “only app that could actually save your life.” And it delivers on this claim by using an aggregate of multiple sources for up-to-the-minute notifications. Also, it doesn’t clog our screens with ads so we can just get the info we need without any hassle. It’s the perfect model for disaster response apps.
Prepare to Evacuate
The Los Angeles fires have shown that many of us are unprepared in the face of an imminent disaster. There’s no shame in hoping for the best, but now it’s time to plan for the worst. And the least we can do is have our “go bag” at the ready. This is a pack of essentials that will get us through the introduction of disasters like the Los Angeles fires in a pinch.
So what should we include in our go bag? Start with these essentials:
- Non-perishable food (3 days’ worth)
- 3 gallons of water (per person and pre-boiled if necessary)
- Map (physical and marked with at least 2 solid evacuation routes)
- Prescriptions and crucial over-the-counter medications
- Change of clothes (shirt, socks, underwear)
- Eyeglasses and/or contact lenses (back-up)
- Car keys (back-up)
- Credit cards (back-up)
- Cash and/or traveler’s checks
- First aid kit
- Sanitation supplies (toothbrush, toothpaste, toilet paper, tampons, etc.)
- Flashlight
- Radio (battery-powered)
- Batteries
- Important documents (copies of birth certificate, passport, etc.)
- Pet supplies (food, water, etc.)
If time and safety allows, we may also want to include:
- Valuables, heirlooms, and keepsakes (that are easy to transport)
- Family photos
- Items that cannot be replaced (that are easy to transport)
- Laptop computer
- Hard drives
- Chargers (for phones, laptops, etc.)
- Power banks (fully charged)
Other Safety Precautions to Consider
When we go to sleep, it’s important that we keep a pair of reliable shoes and a flashlight near our beds. You never know if an evacuation order could come in the middle of the night or during a power outage.
Some evacuated areas are being directed to boil any water before use to reduce the chance of trace contamination. At the time of writing, this includes the Pasadena and Pacific Palisades areas. This water has been potentially contaminated with harmful debris. Therefore, it’s recommended that people in these affected areas refrain from drinking the water.
First Steps if You Think You Lost Your Home in the Los Angeles Fires (and You’re Insured)
If you know or believe that you’ve lost your home in the Los Angeles fires, you are likely in a state of shock. However, immediate action could be to your benefit. There are a number of initial steps you can take, whether or not your home is insured. We’ll start with those who are insured.
If you think your home is covered under homeowners insurance and you believe you’ve lost your home in the Los Angeles fires ravaging the region, start by reaching out to your insurance company as soon as you are able to safely do so. The sooner you set your claim in motion, the better. You may want to consider hiring a public adjuster, though you may also want to wait to hear back from your insurance company’s adjuster with their offer first. But be advised that adjusters may not be able to do much until the fires are under control.
Best Practices When Filing Your Insurance Claim
When speaking to your insurance company, check to see if you can get an advance on your claim, as well as your limits on temporary housing expenses. This will help you begin to get a clearer idea of your budget.
You may want to approach your claim from the perspective of rebuilding your home, even if you’re not 100% certain this will be your course of action. By stating an intention to rebuild, you’ll get a reasonable idea of how much coverage you’ll likely be provided for the full restoration. Some insurers may even prioritize a claim with an intent to rebuild.
Take Photos and Keep Receipts
If you took photos prior to your evacuation, they will come in handy when compiling your list of what you lost and verifying it to your insurer. This process can obviously be more of a challenge without photo documentation. However, if you’re tasked with remembering your belongings off the top of your head, try to list your property on a room-by-room basis. Creating this kind of flow can jog your memory more effectively than trying to recall everything cumulatively.
If you’ve evacuated, make sure to retain all of the receipts for your living expenses. You may be entitled to additional coverage for such expenses. Receipts can be very useful when trying to validate these claims to your insurer.
First Steps If You Think You’ve Lost Your Home (Whether or Not You’re Insured)
Even if you don’t have homeowners insurance, you may be able to obtain financial assistance and relief from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the state of California. That’s because the Los Angeles fires have been declared both a national and state disaster.
First, you’ll need to confirm that you did indeed lose your home in the Los Angeles fires. From there, visit the Los Angeles County Assessors website and register your home address for a claim. Then, to register for FEMA aid, visit their site at DisasterAssistance.gov or call them at 1-800-621-3362 to register. Again, the sooner you can register your claim, the better.
It’s also worth noting that Airbnb in partnership with 211 LA extended an offer to evacuees in the early days of the Los Angeles fires for a free week-long stay at one of their properties. For details, evacuees are encouraged to dial 2-1-1 or visit 211 LA’s website.
How Can You Help Those Most Impacted by the Los Angeles Fires?
LA has always been great about coming together as a community in the face of crisis, and Angelenos are already mobilizing to provide relief to our neighbors. If you’d like to donate money, goods, or services, you can start with this comprehensive spreadsheet that has been making the rounds on the r/LosAngeles subreddit among other platforms. Local food banks and humane societies are in particular need of your assistance.
Just do your due diligence before making any donations. Sadly, there are already scammers and con artists out in force trying to exploit the Los Angeles fires for their own gain. By prioritizing established non-profit organizations over crowdfunding initiatives like personal GoFundMe campaigns, you stand your best chance of bypassing any scams. You should also scrutinize the percentage of your donation that actually goes to victims of the Los Angeles fires.
Rebuilding Comes Later. Today We Survive.
We hope that this guide has steered you in the right direction, though there is no way to meaningfully lighten the burden of such a colossal disaster. Take heart that we are Los Angeles and we will rise through the ashes of this horror. It’s painful beyond words to watch the communities we love burn. But right now, it’s vital that we just get through this as safely as possible. Rebuilding will come another day. Today we survive.
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