On Jan. 7, a series of fires fueled by high winds and dry conditions traveled across the Los Angeles area, including the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire. Two weeks later, the Hughes Fire erupted on Jan. 22. According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the fire has burned more than 47,000 acres, left 28 dead, and destroyed 16,255 structures. It is expected that the death toll will increase as time goes by. As of Jan. 30, none of the fires have been 100% contained. The fires have burned down entire neighborhoods, leaving many people homeless.
Multiple students at Langston University have been affected by the disaster, including Jordyn Brown, a junior computer science major from Los Angeles, California. Initially, Brown was not concerned about the fire reaching her house, but as the fire rapidly spread, she became more fearful. She described the poor air quality and health issues caused by the fire.
“A lot of people were getting sick because they were breathing in a whole bunch of fumes from different workshops and stuff that was getting caught on fire… my mom had to go to the doctor because of it as well.”
Brown emphasized community support measures, such as volunteering and sending donations, as effective ways to assist those affected by the wildfires.
Gabriella Jones, a junior health administration major from Los Angeles, California, is working on a donation project to help the victims of these fires. Jones is the chair of fundraising and bonding initiatives for Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., and has been organizing efforts on Langston University’s campus to raise $500. This project has had a significant impact on her life.
“For my sisters just to reach out and call, just to make sure that I’m okay, it very much touched me, um, in a place that, it could have been me, it could have been my sisters, it could have been my family, and luckily, it wasn’t, right. So, I just kind of felt, like an obligation to like, wanting to give back to my community, especially since I’m from there, and my sisters are willing to help.”
Gabriella plans to involve other National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) organizations; she said, “I’m happy to bring other D9 organizations into the mix because we’re all community based. This is what we live for, helping others.”
To give the Langston student body a chance to give back and to be involved, Gabriella plans to have a care basket raffle. To enter the raffle, students will be asked to donate no more than $3 for a chance to win a care basket, which will include hair products, gift cards, toiletries and more. She plans to hold the care basket raffle in February. All donations will go directly towards those in need of support.
“I’m thinking about either giving it to a relief fund donation,” Jones said. “Or I’m going to give it to our western region and tell them what the money is specifically for, to help with the people that are affected. That means they need to go buy clothes, toiletries, feminine products, care bags, whatever they need.”
The Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., western region chapter has put together immediate support resources and numbers from various organizations on their social media platforms, including the Red Cross, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), Direct Relief, and more. If you’d like to donate to victims of the L.A. wildfires you can do so through Cash App at $Sgrh_iota; be sure to click ‘pretty poodles’ before sending any donations.
Kaycie Washington
Staff Writer
Kaycie Washington is a junior broadcast journalism major
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The Gazette serves as the student voice of Langston University. It is produced within the Department of Communication as a teaching tool and local news source for the campus community. The views and opinions expressed within are those of the writers whose names appear with the articles and do not necessarily represent the views of Langston University.
