LOS ANGELES — As the devastation from the series of Los Angeles County wildfires unfolds, the Recording Academy and MusiCares Friday launched a relief program to support music creators and professionals impacted by the crisis, making a pledge of $1 million to kick off the effort.
"The entire Grammy family is shocked and deeply saddened by the situation that is unfolding in Los Angeles," Harvey Mason Jr., the Recording Academy's chief executive, said in a statement. "The music community is being so severely impacted but we will come together as an industry to support one another. Our organizations exist to serve music people because music is a powerful force for good in the world, and we hope the broader industry will now rally to this cause."
The academy urges the public to donate to the Los Angeles Fire Relief Effort here.
"Thousands of families continue to be evacuated and displaced with no home to return to, and your donation can make all the difference in providing solace and comfort to the Angelenos impacted by this devastating natural disaster," according to the Recording Academy.
The academy suggests the following immediate resources for those in critical need:
- MusiCares Assistance: If you or someone you know in the music industry is affected by these wildfires, email musicaresrelief@musicares.org or call 1-800-687-4227
- Disaster Resources And Information Through LA County: For updated information about evacuations, road closures, emergency resources and free shelter through Airbnb, visit the 211LA website
- ind A Shelter: The Red Cross is operating emergency shelters throughout the greater Los Angeles area. To access a shelter, visit the Red Cross website
- Uber: Residents in Los Angeles County who've been ordered to vacate their homes can get a credit from Uber to get to an evacuation site. The $40 credit will only be valid for trips to an active shelter and by using the code WILDFIRE25
- Lyft: Lyft announced it will be offering $25 vouchers, valid for two trips, to 500 customers from now until midnight on Jan. 15. Use the code CAFIRERELIEF25 to get the promotion
"We expect the disaster relief efforts in Los Angeles to be extraordinary, if even just on the basis of how many music people have lost their homes in the last day," said Laura Segura, executive director of MusiCares, the Recording Academy's philanthropic arm, providing health, financial and rehabilitation resources to music people in times of need.
"MusiCares is always committed to ensuring that music professionals are supported in times of crisis, and we ask for the larger community to donate for those in need at this dire time," Segura said.
MusiCares has offered relief in response to a variety of disasters, including the Las Vegas Route 91 shooting, the COVID-19 pandemic, Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Helene, and the California and Maui wildfires.