Major fires across Los Angeles this week have killed at least 10 people, forced 180,000 to flee their homes, and destroyed thousands of structures. Here are some of the organizations accepting support for those impacted:ChildrenProject Camp: The Los Angeles-based organization runs trauma-informed pop-up day camps for children displaced or out of school due to natural disasters. Its in the process of setting up multiple sites to help families impacted by the Palisades and Eaton fires. It is accepting monetary donations as well as volunteers to staff the camps. Impacted families can also find out how to sign up for a camp here.Boys and Girls Clubs of Malibu: Informed by its experience helping kids and families after the 2018 Woolsey fire, the organization is offering free counseling, case management and resource referrals for area families. It’s collecting donations to provide emergency grants and, when its facilities can safely reopen, it will create an emergency relief distribution center. Those looking for help can fill out intake forms in English and Spanish.Displaced householdsGoFundMe.org: The crowdfunding platform’s nonprofit arm uses its Wildfire Recovery Fund to give emergency grants to verified people and families fundraising for themselves or others, as well as small businesses and nonprofits.Global Empowerment Mission (GEM) and bstrong: In partnership with Bethenny Frankel’s bstrong disaster relief fund, GEM will distribute cash cards to evacuated residents to help with immediate needs like accommodation, gas and food. The organizations are accepting cash donations.Los Angeles Regional Food Bank: The food bank is supporting a network of more than 600 partner agencies to make sure impacted households are fed. It’s accepting cash donations, food donations at two sites, and volunteers.First responders and volunteersCalifornia Fire Foundation: California Professional Firefighters founded the nonprofit in 1987 to support families of fallen firefighters, firefighters and communities impacted by fires. The foundation is supporting both firefighters responding to the Los Angeles fires as well as people affected.Watch Duty: The nonprofit service provides real-time updates on wildfire activity, evacuations, shelters and more via its free app, which more than 1.4 million people downloaded in the 48 hours since the fires began. The organization relies on donations and a team of 200 volunteers, gathering and vetting information from radio scanners and official sources, to do its work.AnimalsPasadena Humane Society: The animal rescue had taken in over 300 animals due to evacuations as of Wednesday night, including some with burns and injuries. Its officers are also on the ground finding animals that need help. It is accepting monetary donations as well as purchased goods from its Amazon wishlist.Longterm recoveryCalifornia Community Foundation: The 110-year-old Los Angeles-based foundation’s Wildfire Recovery Fund addresses longterm recovery needs like temporary housing, rebuilding homes, mental health and medical care. It also provides updated equipment to firefighters and helps rebuild emergency communications systems. It is accepting cash donations and helps company match employees’ gifts as well.Team Rubicon and Samaritan’s Purse: Both organizations will help people who lost homes with debris removal once cleanup begins, among other work related to rebuilding. Team Rubicon is currently helping local agencies with tasks like clearing roads and Samaritan’s Purse has deployed 20 chaplains from the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team to provide spiritual support.People you knowFriends and family who lost property may need cash, temporary housing, or emotional support. But it’s important to reach out delicately, and to not have expectations for how or whether they will respond, said Dr. Adrienne Heinz, clinical research psychologist at the Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD. Here are some tips she has:1. It can be helpful to check in. It can be comforting to know that others are thinking about you and want to lend their support during a difficult time. An example: Im so sorry for what has happened to your community. There arent really words to describe how sad this is. Can I send your family a meal tonight? Im here for you and will keep checking in. No pressure to respond.2. Offer concrete ways of helping like lodging, gift cards, meals, childcare.3. Give them grace. They may not be able to respond for a number of reasons.4. Refrain from phrases that minimize or invalidate their experience, like At least youre alive, or Everything happens for a reason. Just because someone didnt lose their home, doesnt mean they arent hurting. The entire community is still enduring a stressful and likely traumatic event.
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NBC News’ Liz Kreutz reports on the destruction in the Altadena area of Los Angeles due to the extensive wildfires.
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power hasnt implemented an increasingly used safety protocol intended to prevent its equipment from igniting blazes, a measure that every other big California power provider has in place, according to Wall Street Journal reporting. The Morning Joe panel discusses.
A potential change to the lobster industry would impact the allowable lobster catch size. Dozens of lobstermen who do not support the change spoke out at a Department of Marine Resources public hearing in Augusta on Thursday night.The public hearing discussed a proposal that would change the minimum allowable catch size for lobsters from 3 1/4 inches to 3 5/16 inches. A change of 1/16 of an inch may seem small, but to fishermen, it’s a big deal. “It’s our livelihoods you’re messing with,” lobsterman Wayne Delano said. Many who spoke at the meeting expressed fear of potential business impacts and financial losses.”The question here is not will lobstermen and processors go out of business because of this increase, but rather how many will be put out of business because of this increase?” said Dustin Delano, lobsterman and chief operating officer at the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association.The proposal was supposed to already be in effect after being pushed to Jan. 1, but was pushed back again to July 2025. The DMR said the change could improve lobster stock in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank. “This is an incredibly important fishery for the state of Maine,” said Jeff Nichols, communications director for the Maine Department of Marine Resources. “The objective overall is to protect this really valuable fishery.”Despite the negative feedback, the Department is hesitant to go against the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s fishery management. “If the state were not to implement this regulation, it’s possible that the state could be found out of compliance with that fishery management plan,” Nichols said. “That could ultimately result in the closure of the fishery.”There will be a third public hearing with DMR in early February. There will eventually be a vote on the proposed rule.
Fire Chief Randy Hall said the damage to the departments old building was extensive, forcing them to store equipment in a local farmers barn.
The funding was held back starting in January 2024, when the EPA determined that the states plan to address air quality issues in the Interior was insufficient.
NBC News’ Angie Lassman discusses the latest weather conditions in Los Angeles as five wildfires continue to scorch the area.
LAWMAKERS CAN OFFICIALLY GET TO WORK IN MONTPELIER. THE LEGISLATURE VOTED IN JOHN RODGERS… AS LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR. AND GOVERNOR PHIL SCOTT WAS SWORN IN FOR HIS FIFTH TERM, DELIVERING HIS INAUGURAL ADDRESS YESTERDAY. SCOTT’S 42-MINUTE SPEECH HIT ON THE BIG ISSUES THAT HE SAYS…THE STATE HASN’T SOLVED. NBC 5’S STEPHEN BIDDIX BREAKS THEM DOWN FOR US. GOVERNOR PHIL SCOTT THE 82ND GOVERNOR OF THE GREEN MOUNTAIN STATE. DELIVERING HIS INAUGURAL ADDRESS…QUICKLY reinforcing ON HOW HE FEELS MORE RURAL PARTS OF VERMONT ARE BEING LEFT BEHIND AND HURT BY POLICES PASSED BY THE DEMOCRATIC SUPERMAJORITY THE LAST 2 YEARS.
The more than $210 million injection would cover families, businesses and communities impacted by weather disasters that happened between 2023 and 2024.
SBA opens recovery centers to assist businesses and families impacted by the Bourbon Street attack. Additional mental health and financial aid available.
A sharply divided Supreme Court has rejected President-elect Donald Trumps bid to delay sentencing in his New York hush money case
Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird, with City and business leaders, came together Thursday to push for a ballot issue in the April primary to continue the Lincoln on the Move sales tax.