In wake of the tens of thousands of people being displaced following the Los Angeles wildfires, Mayor Karen Bass launched the L.A. Disaster Relief Navigator on Thursday, February 6th. The innovative tool aims to assist all groups of people affected by wildfires with personalized recovery resources.
The Disaster Relief Navigator is designed to prompt users with a series of personalized questions to assess their specific needs resulting from wildfires. Based on these responses, the tool generates disaster action plans highlighting a wide range of recovery resources. These plans include government assistance programs, insurance guidance, home damage services, cash grants and connections to valuable local community services.
“Angelenos are continuing to navigate grief and shock. My commitment is to do everything we can to get people the help they need as conveniently as possible,” Mayor Karen Bass said.
According to CBS News, since its launch, the navigator has been instrumental in assisting residents, with over 1,000 individuals downloading their personalized action plans within a day of the app launching.
The initiative was made possible by funding from the Annenberg Foundation and the R&S Kanye Foundation, whose support enabled the capability to produce a user-friendly accessible platform. Outside of this project, the Annenberg Foundation has established the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and the Wallis Annenberg Endowed Scholarship Fund to support students at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.
According to the Annenberg Foundation Website, the Foundation’s message is established on funding organizations that have deep levels of community involvement and ultimately spark new ideas.
In addition to the navigator, the city has established Disaster Recovery Centers that have assisted more than 5,000 families in person. These centers combined with online resources provide a multifaceted approach to disaster relief.
The website is now available at lacity.gov.