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As wildfires swept through neighborhoods on the outskirts of Los Angeles in January 2025, stories about residents there helping their neighbors and total strangers began trickling out on social media.

Accounts of clearing streets for emergency vehicles to get through and raising money for fire victims were widely circulated. But there were many other examples of less-famous people , and even showing up with .

Businesses, including , opened their facilities so evacuees could shower or charge their phones. Organizations that routinely work with homeless populations quickly ensure people living on the streets and in camps could get to secure, safe locations away from the fires and .

Disasters, , overwhelm local resources, making civilian responders like these essential. Sixty years of research at the and by others examining the social aspects of disaster has repeatedly shown effective disaster management requires mobilizing community resources far beyond official channels.

Often the response happens through local groups that form in response to a clear need in the community and with shared skills and interests. And this is exactly what we are witnessing in Los Angeles.

Civilians helping often number in the thousands

The number of those who step up to help during disasters varies by event, but it can be tremendous.

Following the , over 6,800 volunteers worked with the Red Cross on the response. That same year, volunteers responding to the Kobe earthquake in Japan logged , a measure of the number of people times the hours they contributed.

In an in-depth study of the Sept. 11, 2001, , we interviewed local residents who used their retired fireboat to pump water for the firefighters at ground zero. Operators of tug, ferry and tour boats in and around New York City immediately responded to quickly evacuate 500,000 people in the area from danger. In fact, the majority of the boats involved . Other volunteers queued evacuees and organized supplies and rides to get people home.

Over 900 people, most acting in unofficial capacities, were awarded medals or ribbons for their efforts in just the marine response after the World Trade Center attack.

A survey of residents found that nearly 10% of local residents volunteered in the first three weeks of the response. Following the , in California, a survey of residents in Santa Cruz and San Francisco counties found that two-thirds of the public were involved in response activities.

However, much of the work local residents contribute during and after disasters goes unaccounted for in official reports.

There is no mechanism to quantify the full extent to which a neighbor or a complete stranger helps someone flee from peril. Yet when people are trapped and minutes count, research shows it is family, friends and neighbors who are already on the scene and are . It's often everyday citizens who also take on immediate . Providing a phone, a car, a place to do laundry, or a little bit of elbow grease can fill a gap and let firefighters and other formal responders focus on critical operations.

Getting the right help to where it's needed

Every study of a large-scale disaster conducted by the Disaster Research Center has revealed some level of emergent, informal helping behavior.

The lack of public understanding about the large number of local residents already involved, often including disaster victims themselves, can lead to an influx of outsiders eager to help. Their arrival can actually pose challenges for the disaster response.

When too many people show up, or when people try to operate , they can put themselves and others at further risk. Communities often need supplies, but can than they solve.

So, what can you do to best support these local efforts?

Making a financial contribution to a trusted disaster response or local organization can go a long way to providing the support communities actually need. Organizations such as the American Red Cross or Feeding America, or local community-based groups that routinely work in the area, are often best suited to help where it's needed the most.

Skilled help will be needed for the long term

Also, remember that disasters don't end when the emergency is over. Survivors of the Los Angeles-area fires face years of confusing and .

Offering help after the immediate threat has passed—particularly skilled help, such as experience in construction or expertise in managing insurance and FEMA paperwork—is just as important.

For example, after fires in 1970 in the , local architects, engineers and contractors donated their time and skills to help people rebuild. Their work was and member of the Chamber of Commerce to ensure projects were assigned to reputable volunteers.

As we recognize the important ways that neighbors and strangers helped those around them, the broader community can support wildfire victims by responding to offering the right help as recovery needs emerge. Just about every skill that is useful in calm times will be needed in these difficult months and years ahead.

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