Wildfires: Resources & How to Help

We are heartbroken to see the devastation caused by the wildfires in LA. Even though we are several hundred miles away, I’m sure each of you likely knows someone who has been significantly affected or has lost their home. An hour ago I was talking to a friend who is a pathologist at a hospital in LA and lives in Venice. He told me 40 doctors at his hospital alone lost homes. Tragically, there are thousands of these stories. And for context, I read in The NY Times yesterday that more than 10,000 homes and structures have been lost - this is equivalent to more than all the homes alone just in Burlingame (6,261) and Hillsborough (3,841); San Mateo has 19,200.

I wanted to share two resources that were shared with me on how you can provide support directly to those who need it the most.

How to Help Southern California Fire Victims - Los Angeles Daily News

Wildfire Crisis Relief - Jewish Community Federation of LA

Additionally, given the wildfire risk we all face in California, I wanted to share the below thoughts.

- Download the Watch Duty app. Watch Duty is a 501(c)3 non-profit that provides real-time data on wildfire location, size, evacuation orders, and more. It’s staffed by over 150 registered volunteers.

- Have a “Go Bag” both at your house, and in your car. This is important not just for wildfires but for the equally devastating earthquake that could also happen at any moment, and who knows where you’ll be. More details on my blog from a 2015 post about the important things you want to have just in case. In addition, keep 3M N95 masks both at home and in your car.

- Decide ahead of time about what you would take from your home if you only had a few minutes to evacuate.

- For poor air quality due to wildfire smoke, which we unfortunately experience yearly here, I recommend reviewing my 2020 post on how to get the best air quality in your home. The short version is, you’ll want to have floor HEPA filters that are minimum rated MERV 13+ to filter out particulates (check out the article for more info) that you can get for $200 or so each. If you’re thinking about doing a major remodel or new home build, please feel free to reach out to me and I’ll share further thoughts. This is important because, even if we do not have a wildfire right here - which we could - similar to several years ago when the sky was orange like Armageddon and the air quality was thick with smoke, you’ll want to be able to breathe high-quality air in your home. I just talked to my cousin this morning in Santa Monica and schools are closed for this week and the AQI is 170 to 190 - so pretty high.

- Evaluate your homeowners insurance and review what coverage you have for replacement value in the event of a loss. Should a loss happen, you are still responsible for paying your mortgage, property taxes, etc. Consider if your insurance provides for this. 

- For insurance purposes, take a video of everything in your home to document what you have.

- I will be doing more research over the coming weeks on tips for fire safety and will share what I learn.

We hope that everyone remains safe.

This article is copyrighted by Raziel Ungar and may not be reproduced or copied without express written permission.