Los Angeles Wildfires Disaster Relief
January 14:
Stationing at FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers
Written By Ida Eva Zielinska
Published #76 | Spring 2025 Issue
Tzu Chi volunteers are ready to serve wildfire survivors after setting up a station at the UCLA Research Park West Disaster Recovery Center. Photo/Shuli Lo
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As part of a coordinated effort to support recovery in the aftermath of the Los Angeles wildfires, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), Los Angeles County, and the City of Los Angeles jointly opened Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) on January 14 at three locations: UCLA Research Park West, the Pasadena City College Community Education Center, and Altadena.
DRCs offer a range of resources, including assistance with replacing driver’s licenses, navigating insurance claims, and applying for various forms of aid. After being notified by FEMA, Tzu Chi USA immediately mobilized its volunteers to provide on-site support at the DRCs, initiating the registration process for survivors to receive pre-loaded debit cards and vital supplies at Tzu Chi’s disaster relief distributions once they begin.
“As both a religious and humanitarian organization, Tzu Chi is here to provide on-the-ground support to those affected by the fires,” Debra Boudreaux, Tzu Chi USA CEO said. “Residents with homes that were completely lost, partially damaged, or experiencing other hardships due to the fires can all register for help with us here.”
Simultaneously, it was an opportunity to introduce the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation and its aid capacity. Tzu Chi Advancement Officer Kevin Wong was among the team assisting at the DRC in Pasadena. “I’m going around to the different booths, explaining to them what we’re doing here, and to really promote the kind of services that we can offer to those that were displaced.”
Putting Their Own Troubles Aside
During a visit to the Disaster Recovery Center at the UCLA Research Park West, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass stopped by the Tzu Chi booth to express her sympathy to Tzu Chi volunteers Shouliang Huang and Flora Yeh, both of whom had lost their homes in the recent fires yet were still there, helping others facing the same upheaval.
“I had lived there for nearly five decades and retired in that house over ten years ago,” Huang shared. “On January 7, we received the evacuation order from the City of Los Angeles. Initially, I was reluctant to leave, but the dense smoke made breathing difficult, so we decided to evacuate. In our haste, we hadn’t grasped the speed and intensity with which the fire would spread,” he recounted.
Perhaps Huang’s family still held on to hope that their house would survive the flames – but not for long. “Later that evening, a neighbor called to inform us of their own evacuation and the dire situation. The following morning, he returned on his bicycle and delivered the devastating news: ‘It’s all gone! Burned to the ground!’”
Our entire home is gone, reduced to ashes. Now, all I have left are the clothes on my back, so it’s like starting completely from scratch.
Still, there he was, helping other survivors. “When I heard from Flora Yeh that Tzu Chi needed help here, I felt compelled to come and contribute,” Huang said.
As for Flora Yeh, who is the Director of the West Los Angeles Service Center, she had suffered the same fate.
I lost my home in the Palisades Fire. The courage for me to keep going? Because I want to help other people, because helping other people always made my soul calmer.
Yeh’s empathy for fellow wildfire survivors throughout the unfolding disaster relief mission was deepened by her own experience.
When she finally returned to the ruins of her home, it was the only time she visibly showed her personal pain. Staring at the charred remains, Yeh told the Tzu Chi volunteers who had accompanied her, “I bought this house because of the ocean view.” Then she paused, as the reality of the loss sank in. “It’s gone. You know, this is the first time I have my tears coming. It’s really… really sad and very emotional.”
