California Wildfires: Find out how to Donate to Victims, Avoid Scams

Harrowing images and videos of homes, businesses and forests engulfed in flames are flooding social media as firefighters battle not less than six separate wildfires, buttressed by strong winds, across Southern California.

The situation is dire for a lot of affected residents, with greater than 1 million, predominately in Los Angeles County, without power. Hundreds have been forced to evacuate. Officials have also confirmed not less than five deaths as of Thursday.

When it comes to monetary losses, AccuWeather predicts the fires will cost greater than $50 billion, including losses on account of business interruptions and other effects. J.P. Morgan also estimated that damages could surpass $50 billion, largely on account of the high home values within the affected area, putting this torrent of wildfires on target to grow to be the most costly within the nation’s history.

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The steep toll and shocking scenes are spurring many Americans to attempt to help the victims by donating. Unfortunately, the situation is rallying one other group into motion, too: scammers, who’re already benefiting from heightened emotions and sense of urgency to line their pockets.

Here’s the way you can assist wildfire victims without becoming a victim yourself.

Find out 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 remain vigilant when attempting to lend a helping hand.

“Your first level of defense is your individual instincts,” Bonta said during a CBS Los Angeles interview on Wednesday. “If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.”

Bonta added that it is best to never answer random texts which might be soliciting donations. He said it is best to only donate to organizations that you’ve got confirmed which might be legitimate, using tools reminiscent of ones provided by the California Attorney General and Secretary of State offices to show you how to confirm the legitimacy of any aid organization operating within the state.

The big size of those government databases — which include roughly 150,000 nonprofits which might be cleared to operate within the state — make them lower than useful for choosing a corporation, but they generally is a worthwhile resource for verifying that one is in good standing

If you ought to help but aren’t sure where to begin, listed here are several reputable organizations providing wildfire relief.

American Red Cross

The American Red Cross, one among the nation’s most well-known nonprofit disaster-relief organizations, confirmed Wednesday that it’s sending teams “on the bottom” to support victims of the continued wildfires within the region.

The organization says you possibly 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 help with long-term recovery efforts in the realm reminiscent of 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’s assisting with relief efforts amid the continued wildfires by “working with local fire agencies and community-based organizations to offer 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 probably 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” within the memo.

GoFundMe

Now synonymous with emergency donations, fundraising site GoFundMe is a well-liked place for individual victims to inform their story and request financial support.

For donors, nonetheless, it could actually be sometimes difficult to find out if an impassioned plea for support is real. To help would-be donors, GoFundMe has aggregated a list of verified fundraisers — including each impacted families and nonprofits assisting the community — for people affected by the California wildfires. Take into accout, the location charges the fundraiser a fee (currently 2.9% plus 30 cents) for all donations through its platform.

Moreover, GoFundMe.org — the corporate’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 all the time be.) The cash raised shall be distributed to verified nonprofit organizations working on wildfire relief in addition to individual families who’re confirmed to have been impacted by the disaster.

Donating essential items

Other than monetary donations, several organizations are accepting essential goods from locals as they work on the bottom to offer relief, in line with the Los Angeles Times, which has a comprehensive list of local disaster-relief resources. YMCAs in Los Angeles’ Koreatown district, as an illustration, are collecting and distributing pantry foods, pet foods, clothing and similar items. The Salvation Army’s South California Division is doing the identical.

Other tricks to avoid scams

The above organizations are only a sample of the handfuls of groups working to assist the victims of the California wildfires. Undoubtedly, there are other people and organizations worthy of your donations, however it’s necessary to do some due diligence and ensure that that you simply’re donating to a bunch that may actually use your money to assist wildfire victims.

When deciding to donate to a disaster relief organization, the California Attorney General’s office says to stay vigilant. Be careful for “look alike” web sites and similarly-sounding names of otherwise legitimate organizations.

When unsure, type within 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 way of urgency or use pressure to get people to donate — however it’s okay to pause and confirm before donating.

“Be wary,” Bonta said. “Use your instincts and ensure that the entity that you’re thinking that you are talking to is definitely the one you are communicating with.”