The wildfires in Los Angeles have been devastating. Can you give us a sense of Direct Relief’s response since the beginning?
In the face of the fires, Direct Relief mobilized immediately. We made our entire medical inventory available to local healthcare facilities and began daily deliveries of emergency medications, N95 masks, and other health and emergency supplies to clinics, shelters, and public health agencies caring for thousands of displaced residents. The team has been on the ground from day one, working closely with local partners to make sure people get the care they need.
This means everything from rushing inhalers and insulin to evacuee shelters, to supplying protective gear for first responders. Direct Relief knows that when disasters hit, every hour counts, so our approach is all about expediting critical, specifically requested resources to the right places continuously. We’re also looking ahead – even as we meet immediate needs, we’re preparing the next rounds of support and funding to help the community recover in the weeks and months to come.
What is Direct Relief’s approach to providing aid in response to these wildfires?
Direct Relief takes a comprehensive approach to emergency aid, addressing immediate health needs while bolstering local organizations that demonstrate a commitment to long-term recovery and resilience efforts. In this response, we’ve prioritized several forms of support:
- Direct Cash Assistance: Direct Relief has provided over $2.6 million in emergency funding to frontline groups – including safety-net clinics, mobile health units, search-and-rescue teams, and community organizations across Los Angeles County – with more to come. These groups are caring for evacuees and other affected residents, and we are providing additional funding to support evolving needs. That includes partnering with local organizations providing financial assistance to individuals and families directly impacted by the fires.
- Medical Aid Shipments: Direct Relief is delivering urgently needed medicines such as insulin for people with diabetes and inhalers for those with asthma. By replacing medications lost in the fires or during evacuations, we help prevent medical crises among survivors. Direct Relief also delivered tetanus vaccines for cleanup efforts, and diagnostics and treatment for influenza which is currently widespread in the area.
- Support for First Responders: Direct Relief supplies essential protective gear and medical equipment to first responders on the frontlines. For example, we’ve delivered field medic packs and critical protective items to local search-and-rescue teams working in wildfire zones.
- Recovery Supplies: As residents return to sift through what’s left of their homes, Direct Relief provided the county public health department and city fire department with thousands of protective suits, goggles, gloves, and other safety gear to help shield residents from toxic ash and debris.
- Mobile Health Support: Direct Relief recognizes it may be challenging for those in hard-hit or remote areas to access healthcare services after emergencies, and we equip mobile health clinics reaching impacted communities with medicines, supplies, and funding. These mobile units provide comprehensive care, from basic first aid to mental health counseling.
This multi-pronged strategy means we’re reinforcing the entire local healthcare response. By combining material aid with financial grants, we help ensure clinics can care for their communities, staff, and volunteers have medicines and supplies they need, and patients continue to receive care in a very challenging time. It’s a continuous effort – resupplying, funding, and adapting as conditions change – all aimed at stabilizing health services for the community.
Many donors want to know where their money goes. How does Direct Relief use donations for the Los Angeles County fires, and can you reassure that contributions directly support wildfire-impacted communities?
Donor trust is fundamental. Direct Relief adheres to a strict policy for designated donations in every disaster response – All funds designated for the Los Angeles region are used exclusively to support this response.
Donations go toward expenses like purchasing medicines and other essential items for local healthcare providers, supporting community-based organizations and first responders, and building community resilience. Direct Relief publicly reports what it has delivered and funded, letting donors, and the people for whom these donations were made, see the tangible results. Direct Relief is committed to honoring donor intent, consistently earning top charity ratings for efficiency and accountability. People can be confident that their support is reaching those who need it.
Direct Relief is based in California. Has the organization supported Los Angeles County in the past, and how is this experience shaping the current response?
Yes, Direct Relief has deep roots in California – we’ve been operating here since 1948 – and we have a long-standing commitment to the Los Angeles community. In fact, many of the L.A. County clinics and response groups we’re assisting now have been our partners for over 20 years. Because of this history, when the fires started, Direct Relief did not start our response network from scratch; we already had relationships and logistics in place.
Based in Southern California, Direct Relief is a part of the state’s emergency response framework. We coordinate closely with county and state emergency services. When these fires broke out, Direct Relief was integrated into the response and sent resources right away. Over the years, we’ve responded to other California wildfires (as well as storms and public health emergencies), always with the same philosophy of supporting local health providers. This history has shown us what works: partnering with community organizations, coordinating closely with local health experts, and delivering aid in a way that respects the communities we serve.
Now that the fires are contained, how will Direct Relief continue to support the community during the recovery phase?
The immediate crisis may be passing, but hard work is ahead. Direct Relief knows from experience that recovering from a disaster of this magnitude takes years. Direct Relief is committed to support recovery and resilience efforts throughout Los Angeles County.
In practical terms, we’ll continue to provide financial grants and material aid, but we’ll target them toward long-term health-related needs. For example, as the community rebuilds at least one clinic that was destroyed and remediates smoke damage after the fires, Direct Relief can help fund restorations, telemedicine services, and mobile medical services. We anticipate ongoing health challenges – smoke inhalation can worsen chronic respiratory issues, stress from displacement can trigger mental health needs, etc. We are planning to support programs that address these longer-term impacts, such as mental health services, housing, education, or chronic disease management for survivors. As I’ve mentioned, initial grants were just the start; grantmaking will ultimately focus on sustained needs and investments in community resilience over the next months and years.
Direct Relief, thanks to our donors, will keep resources flowing directly to local partners to address needs as they emerge throughout the recovery process
Finally, what would you say to those who have been affected by the fires and to the people who have donated?
To those who lost homes, loved ones, or peace of mind in this disaster – we want you to know that you are not alone. Direct Relief, along with so many others in the community, is here to support you. We’ve seen incredible resilience and neighbor-helping-neighbor spirit in LA. Our longtime partners on the ground are going above and beyond to care for people, and we’re humbled to support their efforts. We will continue pouring in support as long as it’s needed.
To our donors and supporters: thank you – sincerely. Your generosity is what makes this response possible. Every time we dispatch another truck of medical supplies or issue another emergency grant, it’s because people like you chose to help. And I want to assure you, as someone overseeing this response, that your donations are having a real, tangible impact. The Direct Relief team has seen the relief on a clinic director’s face when we delivered boxes of medicine they requested and heard the gratitude from first responders who received the gear they needed. Those moments are powered by your contributions. Direct Relief takes the responsibility of using your donations seriously and shares about how they’re used because you deserve to know how you’ve made a difference.
Together, we’re helping Los Angeles get through an extraordinarily tough time.
Throughout this crisis, Direct Relief’s priority has been to respond swiftly and effectively, drawing on decades of experience and informed by insights from community partners. We are grateful for the trust of the community and our donors, and we remain committed to earning that trust every day as we help Los Angeles heal.
