Wilshire
United Methodist Church

The following information is copied from emails by https://www.welikela.com/

Thank you WeLikeL.A. for providing critical information.

• Watch Duty has been the MVA (Most Valuable App) of this entire ordeal as far as I'm concerned. The app maps the wildfires and crowdsources news alerts and fire updates. It also clearly shows evacuation and evacuation warning zones. Brilliant app. Its' a non-profit, and I encourage to you donate to it if you can.

• Mutual Aid LA Network has created a Google Sheet of local resources, including distribution hubs, shelters, and animal boarding locations. This sheet also includes locations/providers that are looking for donations or volunteers.

• World Central Kitchen has been partnering with local food truck to serve warm meals overnight to first responders and residents affected by the wildfires.

• 211 LA has partnered with Airbnb to offer free temporary shelter for people displaced from their homes by fire. Start by filling out this form.

• Sad to say, tragedy brings out scammers in droves. GoFundMe a central hub housing all verified fundraisers related to the recent wildfires fundraisers.

• Also on the fraud front, the Federal Communications Commission has a good page of tips for how to avoid scammers in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. Some good common sense reminders here, but for anyone facing property loss, this is a good primer.

• The California Department of Insurance has a Wildfire Resource page offering guides for residential property claims and tips for claimants.

• The r/Los Angeles subreddit and the conjoining megathread has been my go-to to coalesce realtime updates from around the city.

• The L.A. Times has a list of L.A. restaurants offering shelter, discounts and food to fire evacuees and first responders.

• Even if you're not affected by the fire, you're almost certainly facing the possibility of inhaling smoke / particulates from the surrounding burns. LAist has a primer on How to keep yourself safe from the dismal air quality.

• For realtime online video, I've been following coverage on the YouTube livestreams from ABC 7, KTLA, and NBCLA.

• UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain has been hosting livestreams on his YouTube channel where he's been explaining the fire developments from a scientific and ecological perspective. Basically, I've watched several of his streams and it's helped me understand the conditions and weather phenomena precipitating the ongoing disaster. Super informative, and he takes questions!