How to get help after a wildfire in Southern California — from shelters to tax relief and insurance
Thousands of people across four counties in Southern California have been evacuated from their homes as wildfires burned through the region this past week, some escaping at the last minute while others lost their homes.
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"We just had to run for our lives," said Leah Potter, one of the residents evacuated in the massive Bridge Fire, which had its reported growth explode by tens of thousands of acres within a few hours. People in the area scrambled to get out in time.
Altogether, the Bridge, Airport and Line fires scorched more than 100,000 acres — or over 150 square miles — in less than a week.
If you have been affected by a wildfire this past week, there's help available.
While shelters remain open, people who have been forced to evacuate can also get public assistance for lost groceries and other immediate resources. California's full guide to disaster assistance — from replacing important documents like birth certificates to getting crisis counseling — can be found here.
Counseling services and other resources for those experiencing emotional distress due to the wildfires can be found in this guide from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration Services Administration, which gives information for adults, children, teens and first responders who may all deal with different mental health-related impacts.
The organization's Disaster Distress Helpline can be reached at 1-800-985-5990.
And the American Psychological Association also has this list of resources.
On Sept. 18, LA and San Bernardino counties opened joint recovery assistance centers where people can find immediate help. They are only open certain days and times and you can find more information here.
Below is a full list of resources — covering immediate needs like shelter and food as well as things like filing insurance claims and applying for property tax relief.
Shelters for evacuees
The Red Cross has several shelters open for people affected by the Line, Bridge and Airport Fires.
Los Angeles County:
- Pomona Fairplex: 601 West McKinley Ave. Pomona, CA 91768
Orange County:
- Foothill Ranch Library: 27002 Cabriole Way Foothill Ranch, CA 92610
Riverside County:
- Ortega High School: 520 Chaney St. Lake Elsinore, CA 92530
San Bernardino County:
- San Bernardino County Fairgrounds: 14800 7th Street, Victorville, CA 92392
The Red Cross does not require identification to enter a shelter. All you have to provide is a name and where you were living before the fire. All disaster assistance is free.
The sites offer services such as meals, health services, charging stations as well as caseworkers to help with disaster recovery planning and financial assistance for people who qualify. Volunteers and staff are on-call around the clock.
Stay connected with disaster relief information through the Red Cross Emergency App. The organization also posts updates on its X account @SoCal_RedCross.
A full list of evacuation shelters for pets and other animals can be found here for the Bridge Fire, Airport Fire and Line Fire.
Recovery assistance centers
On Sept. 18, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties opened recovery assistance centers where those affected by the wildfires can find help with things like debris removal, rebuilding permits, replacing personal records, processing insurance claims and more.
Several government agencies and nonprofit groups will all be at these centers — described as a one-stop-shop for such help.
LA County Fairplex
Friday, Sept. 20, 2024 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
1101 W. McKinley Ave
Expo Hall 8 – Enter Gate 3
Pomona, CA 91768
The Way World Outreach, Hallmark Campus
Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 23, 2024 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
4680 Hallmark Parkway
San Bernardino, CA 92407
Orange County officials have also opened an assistance center for those affected by the Airport Fire.
Saddleback College
Friday, Sept. 20, 2024 3 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
28000 Marguerite Parkway
Mission Viejo, CA 92692
In Riverside County, those affected can visit another assistance center in Lake Elsinore.
Lake Community Center
Friday, Sept. 20, 2024 12 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
310 W. Graham Avenue
Lake Elsinore, CA 92530
For more information on recovery assistance, LA County residents can visit Recovery.LACounty.gov/BridgeFire and San Bernardino County residents can visit Prepare.SBCounty.gov.
Orange County residents can find more information on everything from cleanup assistance to housing and rental assistance at OCgov.com/recovery and Riverside County residents can get more recovery guidance and help at RivCoReady.org/Recovery.
You also call 211 anytime — 24 hours a day and seven days a week.
Food assistance
Families and households affected by wildfires can find a full list of food banks offering emergency food assistance at no cost here.
The state's Department of Social Services also offers its public assistance program for food to wildfire victims forced to evacuate. You can apply for CalFresh benefits if you have been affected here and you can reach your county's program for such aid by calling 1-877-847-3663 (FOOD).
All county offices offering this assistance can be found in this searchable map.
Housing assistance
The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, offers assistance to those who have been displaced by federally-declared natural disasters.
Information on potentially getting rental assistance, reimbursements for having to buy temporary lodging at places like hotels and other types of housing assistance can be found here on FEMA's website.
You can learn whether you qualify for a low-interest disaster loan as a homeowner, renter or business owner by entering your county and other information here to apply through the U.S. Small Business Administration's website. More information on applying for such loans as well as on what types of loans are available, from covering repair costs to getting help with operating costs after a wildfire, can be found here.
You can also call the FEMA Help Line at 1-800-621-3362.
Help with insurance claims
If you're having problems filing an insurance claim after a wildfire, or facing delays and other issues, you can contact the Department of Insurance by calling (800) 927-4357 or visiting the department's page for help with claims.
Wildfire victims can find tips there on filing claims and avoiding getting defrauded. There's also a list of home insurance companies, a list of centers where people can find in-person help with claims and an evacuation checklist for policyholders, among other resources.
Some people may also be eligible for a FEMA program intended for those affected by disasters who don't have insurance or are underinsured. To find out how to apply and get other information, visit here.
Property tax relief
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared state of emergencies in Riverside, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange counties due to the wildfires so that means those affected may be eligible for assistance with things like property tax relief.
There's usually deadlines for filing these applications.
Los Angeles County:
You must file an application with the Los Angeles County Assessor within 12 months from the date your property was damaged or destroyed and the loss must exceed $10,000 of current market value.
The application for assessment of damage or destruction of property can be found here and the application for property tax installment referral can be found here.
More information on filing for tax relief can be found on the county assessor's website here and the assessor's office can be reached here.
Orange County:
Filing for property tax relief after a wildfire is done through the Orange County's Treasurer-Tax Collector. The application for assessment of damage is here, which can reduce your property valuation so you're eligible for the relief. And you can postpone your next installment of property tax payments by filling out this application.
If it's filed by a date required by the county office, the payment will be postponed without penalty or interest until the property is reassessed. The county office says you can expect to then receive a corrected property tax bill and you will have 30 days to pay the revised amount.
"To qualify for deferral, for property receiving a homeowners' exemption, "substantial disaster damage" means damage amounting to at least 10 percent of its fair market value or $10,000, whichever is less," the O.C. Treasurer-Tax Collector's website says. "For all other property, the damage must be at least 20 percent of value. However, property tax deferral is not available where property taxes are paid through impound accounts."
More information on how such disaster relief can affect your tax bill and other details can be found on the Treasurer-Tax Collector's website here.
Riverside County:
Those whose property is damaged or destroyed by a wildfire in Riverside County may be eligible for property tax relief through the local Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder.
"In such cases, the Assessor's office will reappraise the property to reflect its damaged condition," agency says. "In addition, when you rebuild it in a like or similar manner, the property will retain its previous value for tax purposes."
You must apply within 12 months of your property being damaged or destroyed and the loss must be higher than $10,000.
The form for applying can be found here. More information can be found on the Riverside County Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder's website here.
San Bernardino County:
You must apply within 12 months of the date of damage or destruction to get property tax relief through the San Bernardino County Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk. The loss must be at least $10,000 of current market value to qualify.
"State law provides that if a calamity such as a fire or earthquake damages or destroys your property, you may be eligible for property tax relief through a reassessment," the agency's website says. "This property tax relief is available to San Bernardino County owners of real property, business equipment and fixtures, orchards or other agricultural groves, and to owners of aircraft, boats, and certain manufactured homes – it is not available to property that is not assessable."
The application form to begin the process and have your property reassessed can be found here.
How to help those affected
If you're looking to help or donate, there's a few ways of doing it.
The American Red Cross in Southern California has said, as of Sept. 17, that it has all the physical items needed for people in the region affected by the wildfires and said that "financial donations are the quickest and best way to help those who need it most."
"Financial donations can be used right away to directly help those affected, such as replacing lost items like prescription medications or reading glasses," the Red Cross states on its website.
You can donate by visiting redcross.org or calling 1-800-RED-CROSS to make a donation. To learn about how to volunteer with the Red Cross, visit here.
The California Fire Foundation is a nonprofit that provides support to firefighters, fallen firefighters and their communities as well as aid to wildfire victims through its Wildfire & Disaster Relief Program.
You can donate by simply entering an amount and your payment information by visiting the organization's website here.
The California Community Foundation's Wildfire Recovery Fund gathers funds for mid-term to long-term recovery efforts following California wildfires, allocating the money to a wide range of community groups and nonprofits. Since it started in 2003, it has raised more than $32 million donated toward recovery efforts.
To donate to the Wildfire Recovery Fund, visit here.
If you're looking to volunteer through the state's volunteering program, you can find more information here.
