VMs Help Tens of Thousands Impacted by the LA Wildfires
- The LA wildfires have burned 40,500 acres, destroying more than 12,400 structures.
- Twelve days after the LA wildfires began, 39,000 individuals remain evacuated from their homes.
- Since the LA wildfires began, over 2,000 VMs have helped more than 52,600 individuals.
- In the past year, 12,668 people in disaster zones internationally have been trained on VM tech.
Since the outbreak of the devastating Los Angeles wildfires on 7 January, Volunteer Ministers supported by IAS grants have been working day in and day out to bring help to those affected by the disaster.
In just the first 12 days, more than 2,000 Volunteer Ministers from across LA County and beyond have lent their shoulder to the relief efforts.
Each day, Volunteer Ministers divide into teams and head out to specific locations across Los Angeles to provide critical support on the ground. Their efforts range from collecting and delivering vital supplies for first responders and displaced residents to clearing debris near the fire zones to prevent further outbreaks. They also go door-to-door with care packages, sort mountains of donated supplies at distribution centers, streamline operations at those locations, and deliver assists to both first responders and people in the local community.
After receiving a Nerve Assist, the Commander of a fire Logistics Command Post got off the assist table, bent to touch his toes and exclaimed, “I can’t remember the last time I was able to touch my toes!” He asked the VMs if they can come back every day to deliver assists to his personnel after each watch. Since then, the VMs have been delivering assists to the firefighters from morning to night, in between each of their shifts.
One firefighter said after receiving an assist, “I can already feel things moving. I have lower back pain and I work 24-hour shifts and this is what I needed!” She then asked if her kids could be trained to do this and was given the assist booklet. To this she responded, “This is gold! Thank you very much!”
A local Fire Chief came to get an assist and told the VM he had various pains in his body and has been to many doctors but never got this handled. After 30 minutes of a Nerve Assist, his shoulder pain suddenly went away. He got up and also noticed his knee pain was gone. He said, “Can I come back tomorrow? Are you guys coming tomorrow? I want you to come here every day!”
A team of VMs noticed a lady on the front lawn of her home, frantically trying to clean up debris around the house to protect it from catching fire due to embers carried by the wind. Jumping in to help, the VMs had all the leaves, tree branches and trash removed in no time. The lady was very thankful, stating, “You are the first people who have actually helped us. The only people who have come by so far are looters and we have been protecting our home from them. God bless you! Thank you very, very much!”
Other VM teams cleaned the streets in Pasadena. A lady came out to thank the VMs and told them she had a daycare center she was trying to reopen. VMs immediately went to work cleaning up her property. The lady was blown away saying, “It is a miracle that you guys showed up! A gift from God!”
While going from door to door, one man opened his door visibly distressed and in grief. His brother had lost his house in the fires, and the man was feeling threatened by the fires advancing closer to his community. The VM on site immediately gave him a Locational. At the end of the assist, the man was much relieved, originating, “Okay! I’m here! Thank you very much!”
If you would like to help as a Volunteer Minister, please contact the VM Hotline at (323) 953-3240.
