California Wildfires: What You Can Do
The scenes coming out of LA with the most recent, unprecedented wildfires are difficult to grasp. Their enormous size and power combined with widespread devastation is heartbreaking. As we know from previous disasters, people worry as much about their pets, livestock, and local wildlife making it out alive as they do about themselves. In the midst of all the sadness have been heartwarming images- a young man catching a wild rabbit to save it from the flames, a tv reporter and cameraman rescuing a woman’s backyard chickens, a joyful reunion between a man and his cat who was inside his burning home, a firefighter holding a hose in one hand and petting a lost dog with another. Our relationship with disaster response and how we include animals in that response has necessarily changed since the days of Hurricane Katrina- the first disaster that really brought the need to care for animals during and post-disaster to our attention.
With the fires still raging, the best thing those of us not living in the area can do to help is to provide financial support to those organizations on the ground providing assistance. That may mean including your local humane society that deploys their own staff and volunteers to the area to assist in Emergency Animal Sheltering. The internet is quick, and one of the only benefits of social media is that it can share information about who and how to help very quickly. Unless specified, most organizations prefer monetary donations to physical ones. They may sometimes post an Amazon or Chewy wishlist with specific items they are in need of- please do not send what you think they may need as it may just end up being something taking up space.
A dog with burns receiving medical care at Pasadena Humane. Photo courtesy of Pasadena Humane.
If you live in California, fostering will be very important right now! Shelters and rescues that were already full will need the kennel space for new intakes of animals, so please consider fostering from your local shelter. There are also many shelters outside of California that are preparing for intakes of existing shelter animals (this is important: these are animals that were already being housed in shelters in the affected area, not lost or separated pets from the fires) and need foster assistance to make additional space. If you are in the Seattle area, Seattle Humane posted the following:
The incredible devastation unfolding in Southern California can't be understated and, like so many across the country, we are witnessing these raging wildfires and looking for ways to help those who have lost so much. That is why we've joined our friends with Wings of Rescue and Paws For Life K9 Rescue to pull pets from shelters in the Los Angeles area and bring them here on a much-needed rescue flight. This will free up shelters to intake the many pets displaced by these wildfires and hopefully reunite them with their families. This Wings of Rescue flight will be landing in Boeing Field on Sunday, and we hope to begin the long process of checking in more than 60 pets on Monday in time for many of them to be available for adoption when we open on Tuesday. Now is a great time to adopt and help us reduce our current shelter population. Please also keep an eye out for the special icon that will be affixed to the profile photos of the pets pulled from Southern California. We hope to be able to offer more assistance to our embattled shelter partners in the future!
Ok, so now on to where and how to donate:
Animal Specific:
SPCALA’s Disaster Animal Response Team is seeking donations to support emergency services, such as temporary animal shelters and front-line veterinary care.
Pasadena Humane Society is looking for animal supplies, including food, water bowls, extra-large crates, and blankets. Anyone able to donate these items can drop them off at the donation bin in the shelter’s front parking lot. They are also accepting monetary donations through their website.
LA Animal Services is well over capacity and DESPERATELY needing fosters to free up space for injured and lost animals from the fires. They are currently housing over 1,500 animals.
Philozoia Rescue is seeking donations to rebuild their sanctuary, which burned down in the Palisades Fire. Philozoia rescues homeless animals from high kill shelters and from the poorest communities in California and helps animals that are least adoptable by the general public - adult large dogs, medical cases, stigmatized breeds, seniors, mothers with puppies and animals needing additional socialization and training.
Humans and Animals:
California Fire Foundation is taking donations online to provide aid and resources for both fire crews and residents
The California Community Foundation's Wildfire Relief Fund. The fund directly supports those who have been impacted by the fires with both short term emergency assistance and long term support. Their work targets the most underserved and often hard to reach communities who are going to most need support after this fire.
The Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation is accepting donations to support firefighters on the front lines. The foundation is seeking monetary donations, wildland brush tools, hydration backpacks and emergency fire shelters.
World Central Kitchen, spearheaded by chef José Andrés, has a relief team in Southern California to assist first responders and families. The organization is accepting donations to support the ongoing relief effort.
The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank is accepting donations and looking for volunteers.
While it has been tempting to point out various flaws in response, lack of water, leadership questions, etc - all of these questions can be answered later. The internet tempts us to be cynical and snarky, but instead we need to direct our energy toward feeling enormous empathy for the latest victims of climate change who have lost everything they own. We need to celebrate the individuals and organizations who have offered their homes, their food, their space, their land to help. I’ve seen posts of entire horse barns successfully finding temporary safety for all of their animals! And while the loss of life of all kinds is bound to be absolutely heart wrenching, the best we can do is help however we are able- be kind, be understanding, be empathetic, and be a community ready to support each other.
“Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” - Fred Rogers
