Summary
Disasters inevitably overwhelm local resources, and decades of research have repeatedly shown that effective management requires mobilizing community resources far beyond official channels. That’s why civilian responders, such as business owners, aid group representatives, and local residents, play a crucial role in response to catastrophic events like the Los Angeles fires.
Neighbors and Strangers Pulled Together to Help La Fire Survivors – 60 Years of Research Shows These Unsung Heroes Are Crucial to Disaster Response
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 Hollywood stars 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 helping older neighbors to safety, and even showing up with trailers to evacuate horses.
Businesses, including fitness centers, opened their facilities so evacuees could shower or charge their phones. Organizations that routinely work with homeless populations quickly mobilized their members to help ensure people living on the streets and in camps could get to secure, safe locations away from the fires and hazardous air quality.
Disasters, by definition, overwhelm local resources, making civilian responders like these essential. Sixty years of research at the University of Delaware’s Disaster Research Center 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.
The story continues in The Conversation.
