Los Angeles Fires: World Vision CEO Assesses Impact
by World Vision Staff on January 22, 2025
World Vision President and CEO Edgar Sandoval Sr. visited communities affected by the Los Angeles area wildfires, witnessing firsthand the widespread devastation and overseeing the organization's emergency response efforts.
Communities Face Unprecedented Loss
"The destruction is at a scale that is unimaginable," Sandoval shared after touring the affected areas. "Many families have lost everything – homes and communities they've worked hard to build over years, or even generations, are gone."
The impact extends beyond individual homes, affecting entire communities including churches and local institutions that serve as pillars of support during normal times. These losses represent not just physical destruction, but the disruption of community bonds and shared histories that define these neighborhoods.
World Vision's Emergency Response in Action
The organization has quickly mobilized its resources to support affected communities through its extensive network of prepositioned relief supplies, partner churches, and organizations throughout the US. "Part of World Vision's strength is our ability to respond immediately to disasters, both here at home and around the world," Sandoval emphasized.
Faith-Based Support for Communities in Crisis
In these challenging times, World Vision continues its mission of being "the hands and feet of Jesus Christ," as Sandoval describes it. While rooted in Christian faith, World Vision serves all people affected by the fires, regardless of their religious beliefs or background. This commitment to universal service reflects the organization's core value of helping those in greatest need, without discrimination.
Reflecting on his visit, Sandoval shared, "I have seen and felt God's presence in some of the hardest, most heartbreaking places in the world, and I feel it here in the communities I have visited." He referenced Psalm 34:18, reminding those affected that "God is close to the brokenhearted. He rescues those whose spirits are crushed."
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How You Can Help
Your support enables World Vision to provide immediate assistance to communities in their time of greatest need. Together, we can help affected families begin the journey of recovery and rebuilding.
backCommunities Face Unprecedented Loss
"The destruction is at a scale that is unimaginable," Sandoval shared after touring the affected areas. "Many families have lost everything – homes and communities they've worked hard to build over years, or even generations, are gone."
The impact extends beyond individual homes, affecting entire communities including churches and local institutions that serve as pillars of support during normal times. These losses represent not just physical destruction, but the disruption of community bonds and shared histories that define these neighborhoods.
World Vision's Emergency Response in Action
The organization has quickly mobilized its resources to support affected communities through its extensive network of prepositioned relief supplies, partner churches, and organizations throughout the US. "Part of World Vision's strength is our ability to respond immediately to disasters, both here at home and around the world," Sandoval emphasized.
Faith-Based Support for Communities in Crisis
In these challenging times, World Vision continues its mission of being "the hands and feet of Jesus Christ," as Sandoval describes it. While rooted in Christian faith, World Vision serves all people affected by the fires, regardless of their religious beliefs or background. This commitment to universal service reflects the organization's core value of helping those in greatest need, without discrimination.
Reflecting on his visit, Sandoval shared, "I have seen and felt God's presence in some of the hardest, most heartbreaking places in the world, and I feel it here in the communities I have visited." He referenced Psalm 34:18, reminding those affected that "God is close to the brokenhearted. He rescues those whose spirits are crushed."
----------------------------
How You Can Help
Your support enables World Vision to provide immediate assistance to communities in their time of greatest need. Together, we can help affected families begin the journey of recovery and rebuilding.
