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How Los Angeles fire victims can access home insurance resources for evacuation

Natalie Todoroff Amelia Buckley
Written by
Natalie Todoroff,
Edited by
Amelia Buckley
Published on January 10, 2025 | 4 min read

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Wildfire
Bloomberg Creative/Getty Images

In a video posted to X (formerly Twitter) Tuesday evening, California Gov. Gavin Newsom stated: “This time of year has not traditionally been fire season, but now we disabused any notion that there is a season… It’s year-round in the state of California.”

Five wildfires are currently raging across Los Angeles, fueled by the ferocious, up-to-100-mph Santa Ana Winds. Around 10:30 a.m. on Jan. 7, a brushfire sparked in Pacific Palisades. Later that evening, two more fires emerged: the Eaton fire in Altadena and Pasadena and the Hurst Fire in the San Fernando Valley. Smaller fires sparked in Woodley Park, Woodland Hills, Ravenna and Calabasas throughout Wednesday and Thursday.

A preliminary estimate from AccuWeather Wednesday afternoon put the damage between $52 and $57 billion in property and economic losses. At the time of writing, 10 people have died, upwards of 9,000 structures are estimated to have burned, and more than 180,000 Los Angeles residents have been issued evacuation notices.

If you’ve been forced out of your home because of an evacuation order, you may be able to access funds from your home, renters or condo insurance policy to help cover lodging, food and other costs while you’re displaced. Here’s how to do it, plus some other resources.

Additional living expenses: How to access it once you’ve evacuated

A core pillar of your home, renters or condo insurance policy is coverage D, called additional living expenses or loss of use. This part of your policy is designed to help with unforeseen expenses you may take on if your home is uninhabitable due to a covered event. It can help cover lodging, food, laundry, pet boarding, public transportation and other expenses.

If you’ve evacuated and need to access this part of your policy, here’s what to do once you’re out of harm’s way:

  1.  Contact your insurance company, either online, through an app or on the phone. However you can manage it, get in touch with a licensed representative from your insurance company. This guide lists toll-free numbers for many California insurance companies.
  2.  Ask about immediate payments. Usually, insurance policies work on a reimbursement basis, but that may not be the case for emergency situations. Your insurance company is likely aware of the fire’s proximity to your home, apartment or condo and may be ready to send you funds you can immediately access to help pay for lodging.
  3.  Keep your receipts. If you’re paying out of pocket for goods and services related to evacuation, hang on to your receipt. You’ll need it later to file an insurance claim and be reimbursed.

Power outages and food spoilage

During a wildfire, it’s not uncommon to lose power. If and when food goes bad in your refrigerator due to a power outage, you might have some coverage under your home, renters or condo policy — around $500 or so. Depending on your policy, you may be responsible for covering losses up to your deductible amount for food spoilage coverage. For any amount beyond that, you could be reimbursed.

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How much money can I get from insurance for emergency evacuation expenses?

Usually, between 20-30 percent of your total dwelling limit is earmarked for additional living expenses. So, if you have a $300K home insurance policy, you likely have between $60K and $90K for additional living expenses. For renters, this limit is usually around 30 percent of your personal property limit. Exact figures will depend on your policy specifics, which you can find on your policy’s declarations page.

I don’t have insurance. What resources are available to me?

Even without an insurance policy, there are organizations you can contact for aid. Here are a few:

How to get the $750 FEMA Serious Needs Assistance

If your home is in a declared disaster area, and you meet the criteria listed below, you are eligible for a one-time $750 Serious Needs Assistance payment from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for supplies like water, food, first aid, fuel and personal hygiene items. Here’s how to know if you qualify:

  • You or someone in your home is a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national or qualified non-citizen
  • FEMA can confirm your identity
  • Your home is in a declared disaster area
  • You live in your home most of the year
  • You apply for FEMA assistance while Serious Needs Assistance is available
  • The disaster damaged your home. FEMA confirms this based on an inspection or documents you send.

You can apply for Serious Needs Assistance during the first 30 days after a disaster is declared. Here’s how to apply:

Written by
Natalie Todoroff Arrow Right Icon
Writer, Insurance
Natalie Todoroff is an insurance writer and industry analyst for Bankrate. She is based in San Francisco and holds a personal lines insurance license.