How to Help California Wildfire Victims — Without Getting Scammed
Harrowing images and videos of homes, businesses and forests engulfed in flames are flooding social media as firefighters battle at least six separate wildfires, buttressed by strong winds, across Southern California.
The situation is dire for many affected residents, with more than 1 million, predominately in Los Angeles County, without power. Thousands have been forced to evacuate. Officials have also confirmed at least five deaths as of Thursday.
In terms of monetary losses, AccuWeather predicts the fires will cost more than $50 billion, including losses due to business interruptions and other effects. J.P. Morgan also estimated that damages could surpass $50 billion, largely due to the high home values in the affected area, putting this torrent of wildfires on track to become the costliest in the nation’s history.
The steep toll and shocking scenes are spurring many Americans to try to help the victims by donating. Unfortunately, the situation is rallying another group into action, too: scammers, who are already taking advantage of heightened emotions and sense of urgency to line their pockets.
Here’s how you can help wildfire victims without becoming a victim yourself.
How to donate to California wildfire victims safely
Following the state of emergency declaration on Tuesday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued an alert, reminding residents of the state's anti-price gouging rules during emergencies and warning donors to stay vigilant when trying to lend a helping hand.
“Your first level of defense is your own instincts,” Bonta said during a CBS Los Angeles interview on Wednesday. “If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.”
Bonta added that you should never answer random texts that are soliciting donations. He said you should only donate to organizations that you have confirmed that are legitimate, using tools such as ones provided by the California Attorney General and Secretary of State offices to help you verify the legitimacy of any aid organization operating in the state.
The large size of these government databases — which include roughly 150,000 nonprofits that are cleared to operate in the state — make them less than useful for selecting an organization, but they can be a valuable resource for verifying that one is in good standing
If you want to help but aren't sure where to start, here are several reputable organizations providing wildfire relief.
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross, one of the nation's most well-known nonprofit disaster-relief organizations, confirmed Wednesday that it’s sending teams “on the ground” to support victims of the ongoing wildfires in the region.
The organization says you can support its efforts by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or texting REDCROSS to 90999.
United Way of Greater Los Angeles
The greater Los Angeles branch of the nonprofit United Way has a dedicated Wildlife Response Fund to assist with long-term recovery efforts in the area such as providing shelter, assistance paying bills and health services.
The organization accepts donations online at unitedwayla.org.
California Fire Foundation
The nonprofit California Fire Foundation provides emotional and financial assistance to communities affected by fires, firefighters and families of fallen firefighters.
The organization says it is assisting with relief efforts amid the ongoing wildfires by “working with local fire agencies and community-based organizations to provide direct financial support to impacted residents.”
The California Fire Foundation is accepting wildfire relief donations through this online form.
California Community Foundation
The Los Angeles-based nonprofit California Community Foundation provides financial support to fund long-term recovery and assistance efforts. The organization says its Wildfire Recovery Fund provides aid to the most marginalized and vulnerable members of the affected communities.
Wildfire relief donations are accepted online via this page or by checks mailed to:
California Community Foundation
717 W Temple St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012.
Include “Wildfire Recovery Fund” in the memo.
GoFundMe
Now synonymous with emergency donations, fundraising site GoFundMe is a popular place for individual victims to tell their story and request financial support.
For donors, however, it can be sometimes difficult to determine if an impassioned plea for support is genuine. To assist would-be donors, GoFundMe has aggregated a list of verified fundraisers — including both impacted families and nonprofits assisting the community — for people affected by the California wildfires. Keep in mind, the site charges the fundraiser a fee (currently 2.9% plus 30 cents) for all donations through its platform.
Additionally, GoFundMe.org — the company’s nonprofit arm — is running its own fundraiser to support victims of the wildfires. GoFundMe says donations made to this aggregated fundraiser are tax deductible. (Donations to individuals on GoFundMe.com may not always be.) The money raised will be distributed to verified nonprofit organizations working on wildfire relief as well as individual families who are confirmed to have been impacted by the disaster.
Donating essential items
Aside from monetary donations, several organizations are accepting essential goods from locals as they work on the ground to provide relief, according to the Los Angeles Times, which has a comprehensive list of local disaster-relief resources. YMCAs in Los Angeles' Koreatown district, for instance, are collecting and distributing pantry foods, pet foods, clothing and similar items. The Salvation Army's South California Division is doing the same.
Other tips to avoid scams
The above organizations are only a sample of the dozens of groups working to help the victims of the California wildfires. Undoubtedly, there are other people and organizations worthy of your donations, but it's important to do some due diligence and make sure that you're donating to a group that will actually use your money to help wildfire victims.
When deciding to donate to a disaster relief organization, the California Attorney General’s office says to remain vigilant. Watch out for “look alike” websites and similarly-sounding names of otherwise legitimate organizations.
When in doubt, type in the organization’s name into this state-government run database to see if it’s authorized to operate as a nonprofit and is in good standing. Bonta’s office says that scammers often convey a sense of urgency or use pressure to get people to donate — but it's okay to pause and verify before donating.
“Be wary,” Bonta said. “Use your instincts and confirm that the entity that you think you're talking to is actually the one you're communicating with.”
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