On January 14, marking a week since the devastating Southern California wildfires began, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation hosted a briefing for more than 500 public and private leaders to provide an update on response efforts to the ongoing wildfires, emerging needs, and how the business community can play a pivotal role in delivering relief.
On January 7, wildfires in Southern California began burning across the Los Angeles County area, exacerbated by historically low rainfall, limited humidity, and strong winds.
The fires have burned through more than 40,000 acres, killing at least 25 people, destroying thousands of homes and businesses, and leading to evacuation orders for more than 200,000 residents. Communities remain without critical infrastructure and the priority is saving as many lives as possible.
Two major fires continue to burn, with dangerous Santa Ana wind conditions fueling their spread after more than a week of emergency response efforts. The next few days will be critical for firefighters and first responders as dangerous wind conditions are expected to persist through the week.
Our team is monitoring the rapidly changing situation through our extended network of state and local chambers. On this week’ briefing, leaders from the American Red Cross, California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), FEMA, and the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce shared critical insights on response efforts, immediate needs, and how the private sector can act to help save lives and livelihoods.
Key Takeaways
- Life safety is the priority, and recovery will be a long-term effort.
The response period for the wildfires is not expected to end soon given the persistence of critical fire weather. Protecting the lives of Los Angeles residents remains the top priority. All organizations that spoke are committed to remaining in the community to support short and long-term response and recovery efforts. - Fire in urban communities represents a worst-case scenario. Abby Browning from Cal OES and Mark Smith from the American Red Cross both remarked that a wildfire extending through an urban environment is a scenario that “keeps them awake at night.” Bob Fenton from FEMA Region IX remarked that this was one of the more horrific disasters he’s seen, with “probably the most homes I’ve seen destroyed in a fire.” Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Maria Salinas called the human toll devastating. Salinas, from the Pasadena/Altadena area, said at least 20 family and friends have lost their homes.
- The small business community is a key LA economic base. The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce CEO said 93% of Los Angeles businesses have less than 20 employees, and 68% of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce’s members are small businesses. Many of the affected areas have their own “main streets” of small businesses–from restaurants to retail–devastated by the fires.
- Housing needs are an immediate and long-term challenge. Housing availability remains a persistent challenge. The loss of thousands of homes throughout Los Angeles County means housing will be a more critical need over the short and long term.
- Cash donations are key, but in-kind support is welcome for requested items. Cash donations allow for easier procurement of supplies and provide survivors with the means to keep local commerce moving. Cash also gives survivors more control over meeting their needs and beginning their recovery efforts. In-kind donations of requested items are welcome, and speakers provided links to how the private sector can get them to survivors.
How to Support Response Efforts
If you’d like to make a donation, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s resource page includes a list of trusted organizations responding to the most immediate needs.
Response & Recovery Efforts
Critical fire weather is expected to persist over the next few days; Cal OES stated firefighters have put out at least 20 different “spot fires” across the area in the last 24 hours. Eventual rain is also a concern, as burn areas with loose debris are at high risk of landslides during the first significant storm.
FEMA has opened two resource centers in the city of Los Angeles, operating daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Staff at these centers will provide survivors with information on available funding and other resources to support their immediate and long-term needs. Over 40,000 people have applied for assistance through its online application portal, and over $8 million has been distributed to survivors. Cal OES also provided links to a donation portal for businesses and vetted local community philanthropy funds that can accept cash donations for affected communities.
The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce is a regional body that covers Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, Ventura, and San Bernardino counties. They are working with Los Angeles County government officials to assess how many small businesses the wildfires affected. Chambers in the affected areas have started to contact their members through phone calls, emails, and door-to-door visits to get a picture of how small businesses have fared. They have also launched a Small Business Disaster Recovery Fund with seed funding from Bank of America and Amazon.
Building Long-Term Resilience
Housing will also remain a critical need during the response and recovery phases. FEMA provides Individual Assistance that can be used for housing needs, and the American Red Cross is working with local organizations to support shelter residents’ transitions to sustainable housing. At a state level, the governor has suspended permitting requirements for specific laws to facilitate faster approval and construction of sustainable housing in Los Angeles County.
The Business Community’s Role
The private sector is key to supporting response and recovery efforts in Southern California. The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce said they are well-positioned to help the Los Angeles business community through their coalition of private, public, and nonprofit partners. Abby Browning from Cal OES concurred that it is going to take the whole community to help Los Angeles recover. The U.S. Chamber Foundation is committed to remaining involved throughout the disaster, and this is the first of more calls planned. Promoting long-term recovery and resilience in the wildfire impact areas is a community effort, and working together ensures we use the power of business effectively to do good for the people of Los Angeles.
If you are interested in how you can help, please reach our team at resilience@uschamber.com.
Additional Resources
About the authors
Desmian Alexander
Desmian (Des) Alexander is associate manager of global resilience programs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.
