Kathy Fulton ALAN reaches out to help with the Los Angeles fires
The American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) is assisting in the aid of the historic Los Angeles fires and wanted to share what they are doing and how you can help.
Shortly after news of the fires broke, ALAN reached out to our non-profit partners to get a handle on what types of donated logistics services and equipment they anticipate needing – and where.
At the moment, ALAN said that local relief organizations have the supplies they require in the short term because nearby communities have been incredibly generous. In fact, these organizations are already being logistically challenged by the outpouring of donations, which need to be sorted, categorized, and organized to get them ready for distribution.
Most of these organizations have little to no experience running that kind of ad hoc warehousing and transportation operation – especially under such dire circumstances – so ALAN has been especially busy providing these organizations with the required just-in-time guidance. Along those lines, ALAN will host a California fires logistics call for non-profit organizations on Monday at 3:30 Eastern. (All non-profits are welcome, so if you’re already assisting with relief efforts in the area or are planning to do so in the future, you can register at this link.)
ALAN is also gathers and shares key information about how the fires affect logistics infrastructure and resources, including road closures, power outages, curfews, and more. (Check out our Disaster Microsite and Supply Chain Intelligence Center for details.) These free resources exist to help non-profits and businesses make better-informed decisions about how to keep essential supplies like food and water moving into disaster-affected areas, which is crucial at times like these, and we are honored to be able to provide it.
Finally, ALAN is preparing to fill requests for donated logistics assistance – which is where you come in. . .
If you have logistics capabilities like warehouse space, trucks, equipment, or supplies you’d be willing to donate to support fire relief efforts, please offer them now. ALAN will need a lot of support in the coming days, weeks, and months. And the more advanced information we have about available resources, the more quickly we’ll be able to fulfill requests for assistance and get survivors the help they need.
In addition, please visit our Disaster Micro-Site often. It’s where ALAN will post all requests for fire relief assistance we receive – and where we already have many unfilled requests related to other disasters. ALAN will be grateful if you could help us fill one or more of them.
Please also consider donating to support our response activities. We rely on your financial support, and your gift will allow us to continue providing the donated logistics assistance that is so critical to helping communities like Pacific Palisades, Altadena, and others recover.
On a final note, please don’t try to send supplies to Southern California right now. Relief organizations and disaster survivors have no place to store or keep them – and trying to handle the wave of incoming products can turn into a major challenge at a time when they’re dealing with other priorities.
“On behalf of all of us at ALAN, thank you for being part of our support system. Although the first two weeks of 2025 have already contained more than their fair share of fire and (freezing) rain, we are grateful to be working with you,” said Kathy Fulton, Executive Director of ALAN.
