Responding to California Wildfires
World Renew Disaster Response Services (DRS) plans to organize a response to multiple wildfires sweeping across parts of southern California since Tuesday, Jan. 7. Currently five named fires are active in Los Angeles County, and an additional fire is already contained.
Beginning last week, embers blown by warm, high winds in the western area of Los Angeles, Calif., quickly spread into a 200-acre wildfire. Over the next few days, a combination of wind and dry conditions caused multiple fires that damaged over 12,000 homes and other structures in the California coastal area. As of Friday morning, 34,000 acres had burned, and more than 200,000 residents were facing mandatory evacuation orders. At least 10 people have died as residents reportedly face the worst fire threat in Los Angeles history.
World Renew DRS is the disaster response organization of the Christian Reformed Church in North America and provides cleanup, rebuilding, needs assessments, and long-term recovery services, free of charge, to disaster survivors in North America. World Renew DRS works with local community organizations in disaster areas to help homeowners rebuild their houses and lives.
With over 50 years of experience, World Renew DRS provides communities that have experienced a disaster with long-term recovery work that may be requested over the next one to three years or longer. The organization specializes in assisting vulnerable homeowners in disaster areas with services such as home reconstruction and rebuilding, roof repair, needs assessments, and cost estimating.
In California, World Renew DRS will coordinate with officials and other voluntary organizations to plan a response to assist survivors of the January wildfires. World Renew DRS prioritizes assisting homeowners who are uninsured, elderly, low income, or otherwise unable to recover from a disaster on their own. The organization will prepare to help residents as the threat is brought under control and response agencies gain access to destroyed areas.
“As we see the damage and destruction left in the wake of these wildfires, our hearts go out to the people affected by this crisis. World Renew DRS will provide recovery assistance for survivors once it is safe to do so,” said Garry Mayhew, head of humanitarian and emergency affairs at World Renew and interim director of World Renew DRS. “We pray for containment of the fires and safety for the firefighters working tirelessly to defend the affected communities.”
World Renew DRS is also continuing its work in areas previously affected by severe storms and flooding in fall 2024. You can donate toward the California fires response by using these links: U.S | Canada.
