Written By: Chris Dolan and Megan Irish
Our hearts and thoughts are with everyone in the greater Los Angeles area as they all go through these devastating wildfires.
As they experience these fires, what can they do to stay safe or best equip themselves to recoup their losses if their property suffers.
First of all, get to somewhere safe. Get yourself, your family and your pets and safely evacuate. If you can, take basic necessities, including medications, with you and do not wait until the last moment. Take your important papers with you, including but not limited to copies of your insurance policies and an inventory of your home. You can take a video of your home and photos of your important items. You can store all this in the cloud, and password protect it.
The California Department of Insurance has a great resource for wildfire victims. https://www.insurance.ca.gov/0400-news/0100-press-releases/2025/release002-2025.cfm This website has a link to the Department of Insurance’s Top Ten Tips for WildFire Claimants, in multiple languages. https://www.insurance.ca.gov/01-consumers/140-catastrophes/upload/Top10tips_WildfireClaimants.pdf
Also, for those affected by the fires who are forced to relocate there are resources available to help. While homeowners and or renter’s insurance may cover part of victims unexpected costs, additional living expenses, referred to as ALE may be available through the coverage to cover food, housing, furniture rentals, relocation and storage, as well as extra transportation costs. Red Rover, found at https://redrover.org/ Is a resource for those with pets.
There are many resources that have been highlighted before, but are just as important now.
California Department of Social Services
California maintains a Disaster Help Center online. This site has resource guides, both in English and Spanish. They have links for CalWORKS, which is an assistance program for families with children in the home, and CalFresh, which helps with funds for food. If someone was already receiving these benefits and had to abandon their home (and their pantry), there are resources for, “replacement,” benefits, too. There are special circumstances when disasters happen, and families who may not typically receive benefits could qualify for assistance for a short time during the disaster period. There are also resources for housing administered by the local county. Financial or wage replacement services may be available at California’s State Supplemental Program (SSGP), and it should be evaluated on an individual basis.
California Department of Motor Vehicles
The DMV will assist fire victims who need replacement documents from the DMV free of charge. If you DMV documents, reach out to the local field office, call 1-800-777-0133, or online. Being evacuated can be a really stressful time. If you experience any emotional distress, and need to talk to a professional, there are counseling services available. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has a Disaster Distress Helpline that provides 24/7,365 resource available for any human caused or natural disaster. The helpline can be reached at 1-800-985-5990 or text TALKWITHUS to the number 66746.
As these fires rage, we hope everyone stays safe, and thank all the first responders who are fighting for our communities.
Christopher B. Dolan Owns the Dolan Law Firm. Megan Irish is a Sr. trial attorney in our Oakland Office. We serve clients in the San Francisco Bay Area and California from our Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Oakland offices.
