Los Angeles Wildfires Disaster Relief
January 8:
Joining the Relief Effort
Written By Ida Eva Zielinska
Published #76 | Spring 2025 Issue
As Tzu Chi volunteers drive toward shelters closer to disaster zones, the thick smoke caused by the wildfires is visible ahead. Photo/Kueifen Hsieh
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Tzu Chi USA, which was established in Los Angeles and remains headquartered there, has several service centers in the area, and its volunteers quickly stepped up to the forefront of relief efforts. In particular, the San Gabriel Valley Service Center in El Monte, located at a 30-minute drive distance from the Eaton Fire disaster zone, would soon play a major role. At the same time, the West Los Angeles Service Center, closer to the Palisades Fire zone, while situated near affluent neighborhoods where people typically don’t require charity assistance, was ready to provide extensive aid distributions as well. But first, the Los Angeles area volunteers went to where those evacuated due to the uncontained wildfires were gathering.
“Starting from January 8, Tzu Chi volunteers began going to different shelters to care for evacuated residents, provide spiritual comfort, understand their needs, and accompany them until the evacuation ends,” James Chen, Director of the San Gabriel Valley Service Center, reported.
One of the shelters set up by the American Red Cross to accommodate those affected by the Eaton Fire was located at the Pasadena Convention Center. Upon arrival, the volunteer team learned that 800 displaced residents were sheltering there. Most didn’t know the fate of their homes. Additionally, for some, the circumstances were life-threatening – even away from the flames. “We lost electricity,” one evacuee announced. “My husband has ALS. He’s completely paralyzed. He’s dependent on a ventilator. All these things require electricity.”
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On that first day after the outbreak of the rapidly expanding wildfires, the survivors’ hardships were glaring. Leanne Chang, who led the team of volunteers, said: “At the shelter set up at the Pasadena Convention Center, we saw many elders evacuated from nursing homes. Many of them were mobility-impaired or even bedridden and needed help receiving supplies and meals.”
Realizing this, Dr. Lina Lin, an optometrist with the Tzu Chi International Medical Association, immediately decided to stay on-site to assist and provide comfort.
I was there to help those lonely elderly people or to hand them anything they needed. They actually needed warm company.
Meanwhile, back in El Monte at the San Gabriel Valley Service Center, another team set up a Tzu Chi Care Center to support those affected by the disaster, starting with individuals already connected to Tzu Chi. “We started calling volunteers and members living near the wildfire on the evening of January 7, and confirmed that everyone had been evacuated safely,” James Chen explained. “We also opened our office to accommodate volunteers and members in need, providing hot meals and temporary shelter.”
Among them was Argentina Macias, a Tzu Chi Medical Foundation Board Member who also assists Tzu Chi USA as a Hispanic community volunteer. She and her family of six had evacuated the day before, checking in at a motel since they have a large dog.
“Our family was scared, tired, and hungry at the motel when I received the phone call from Dr. Lina Lin. She invited us to the Service Center in El Monte to have dinner and receive a ‘care package,’” Macias recounted. When she and her exhausted family arrived on the afternoon of January 8, they couldn’t help but hug Tzu Chi volunteers, feeling fortunate to have at least escaped the inferno safely, no matter what happened next.
The Eaton Fire had caused a widespread power outage in the San Gabriel Valley. With residents unable to cook and advised to stay indoors due to hazardous wildfire smoke, the San Gabriel Valley Service Center volunteers began delivering care packages around noon. These included hot meals for Tzu Chi volunteers and members with mobility issues.
Soon, other needs emerged. When the Pasadena Convention Center shelter reached capacity, Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis established another at the Fairplex in Pomona, a city situated in Los Angeles County between the Inland Empire and San Gabriel Valley. After receiving an urgent request from Solis’ office, Tzu Chi USA National Headquarters volunteers and the emergency relief team rapidly delivered 120 eco-friendly blankets and more than 2,000 N95 face masks to the new shelter on January 9. Representatives of Solis’ office accepted the donations that very evening.
Tzu Chi’s eco-blankets have now been placed in the shelter, with two on each bed. We hope that can give some warmth to the people staying there.
In addition, the wildfires had generated dangerous smoke and haze, releasing toxic gases into the sky. As a result, air quality in Los Angeles became a serious concern. The N95 face masks donated by Tzu Chi would help protect residents when they had to go outdoors.
Thank you, Tzu Chi, for providing blankets and masks, which was a great comfort to the shelter’s residents who lost their homes.
