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LA Universities Ramp Up Relief Efforts for Wildfire Victims

Wildfires in Los Angeles have claimed the lives of multiple people and destroyed thousands of homes. iStock

Firefighters continue to battle multiple wildfires in the Los Angeles area, which have claimed the lives of at least 27 people at the time of writing and destroyed thousands of homes. Students, faculty, and staff at three AAU member research universities in Los Angeles – the California Institute of Technology; the University of California, Los Angeles; and the University of Southern California – are among those who have experienced tremendous loss as a result of the fires.

UCLA and Caltech, as well as several other universities in Los Angeles, have had to curtail or change campus operations this month to prioritize their communities’ wellbeing and safety. UCLA, which is located near the Palisades fire evacuation zone, is resuming in-person instruction the week of January 20 after switching to online classes, and Caltech resumed classes on January 13 after canceling them briefly. While USC's physical campus has been largely unaffected by the fires since it is outside the impacted area, many of its students and employees have also been displaced.

As integral members of the city of Los Angeles, all three institutions have ramped up relief and recovery efforts to support affected students and faculty as well as city residents:

Caltech According to the university, “more than 250 individuals and families across campus and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) have lost their homes to the fires, while more than 1,800 remain temporarily displaced due to evacuation orders; lack of working power, gas, and/or safe water; and other circumstances.” The university has set up a special Caltech and JPL Disaster Relief Fund to support those affected by the fires.

“The Caltech community has responded with compassion and generosity, seeking to help each other and working heroically to permit Caltech and JPL to resume their fundamental missions of learning and discovery. We are in this for the long term, and the closeness of our community gives us hope for the future,” said Caltech President Thomas F. Rosenbaum.

UCLA – “Every Bruin has been affected by this disaster – if not directly, then we all know someone who suffered a personal loss or has been displaced from their home,” said UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk. The university has set up Bruin Wildfire Relief Funds to help support students and employees in need during this difficult time.

The university has also donated space at the UCLA Research Park to FEMA “for use as a disaster recovery center serving impacted residents on the city’s west side.” UCLA Health is open and has been serving displaced victims across the LA area. The campus has also made vacant housing available to affected employees and has opened its conference center to evacuees.

USC – While the university campus is not located near any of the fire evacuation or warning zones, many of its students and employees are nevertheless experiencing extreme hardship as a result of the fires. The university has set up the Trojan Family L.A. Wildfire Relief Fund to support current students, faculty, and staff in need.

“We’re proud and moved to see how Trojans from around the world are reaching out to help those in need. We’ve heard stories of Trojans helping the wildfire response efforts through Navy Reserve deployment and others doing search and rescue work in the affected communities. Across our campuses, Trojans are looking at ways to use their expertise to rebuild our communities,” said USC President Carol Folt.


Kritika Agarwal is senior editorial officer at AAU.