Resource Guide
How to Evacuate, and How to Help
Published August 4, 2026 · Public Climate Science Network · PCSN receives nothing from any link on this page
If You Are in the Fire Area
Evacuation decisions belong to your county sheriff or emergency management agency, not to this site. The three-level system used across the corridor is simple: Level 1, BE READY— pack, fuel the car, know two routes out. Level 2, BE SET— be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice; people who need extra time should leave now. Level 3, GO— leave immediately; do not stop to gather belongings; emergency responders may not be able to reach you if you stay.
The emergency page lists the verified official alert and evacuation channels for every corridor county, in English and Spanish. The My Area lookupreturns nearby fires, current air quality, and your county’s official channels from a ZIP code. The preparation pagecovers the go-bag, documents, medications, and pets — useful at Level 1, essential before it. If you are already in smoke, the air-quality page carries live sensor readings.
How to Help: Cash First
Every state emergency management agency gives the same guidance, and the operational logic is worth understanding: financial gifts are the most effective form of help. Money lets relief organizations buy exactly what is needed, locally, without the warehousing and sorting burden that truckloads of unsolicited goods impose on a community in crisis. Donate goods only when a specific organization asks for specific items, and never self-deploy to a fire area to volunteer — go through recognized channels (Oregon’s is ORVID; call 211 in any corridor state for current needs).
Verified Funds for Affected Communities
Each fund below is run by an established organization — a community foundation, a tribal government, a long-standing sector foundation — and was verified against local reporting before listing. We deliberately do not link individual crowdfunding campaigns: we cannot verify them, and the established funds below reach the same families.
Spokane area, Washington — Spokane Complex fires
Innovia Foundation: Spokane Complex Wildfire Response Fund
The community foundation for Eastern Washington and North Idaho. 100% of contributions go to vetted nonprofits serving people displaced by the Old Trails, Autumn Lane, and Fairview fires; regional funders seeded the fund with $1.55 million in its first days. Checks: Innovia Foundation, 818 W. Riverside Ave., Ste. 650, Spokane, WA 99201, memo “Spokane Complex Wildfire Response Fund.”
Warm Springs Reservation, Oregon — Bench Fire
Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs: CTWS Wildfire Recovery Fund
The tribal government’s official recovery fund for families who lost homes to the Bench Fire. The tribe also coordinates supply donations (non-perishable food, bottled water) directly: donation drop-offs through the CTWS Chief Operations Officer at (541) 460-1109; volunteer coordination at (541) 419-8094.
Owyhee country, Oregon and Idaho — Big Grass Fire
Owyhee Cattlemen’s Heritage Foundation: Big Grass Fire Fund
Direct financial assistance to ranching families in the fire’s path for emergency feed and, later, herd and fence rebuilding. The ranching losses here will unfold over months and years after containment; this is the long-tail fund for that recovery.
Oregon, statewide
Oregon Community Foundation: Disaster Readiness and Response Fund
Oregon’s statewide community foundation channel for wildfire relief, recommended by the Oregon Department of Emergency Management. Also see Oregon VOAD (orvoad.org/donate) and the United Way Pacific Northwest Disaster Recovery Fund.
Shelter and immediate needs, region-wide
American Red Cross — Northwest and Cascades regions
Operating evacuation shelters in Spokane County and central Oregon. Cash donations fund shelter operations; blood donations are also needed during sustained disaster operations.
The people on the fire lines
Wildland Firefighter Foundation
Supports injured wildland firefighters and the families of those killed in the line of duty. More than 27,400 personnel are committed to fires nationally as of this week.
Avoiding Disaster Fraud
Fraudulent fundraisers appear within hours of every major fire. Before giving anywhere not listed above: confirm the organization is a registered 501(c)(3) using the IRS tax-exempt search or Charity Navigator; be skeptical of urgency pressure, gift-card or wire requests, and names that imitate known charities. Report suspected fraud to the National Center for Disaster Fraud at (866) 720-5721.
If the Fires Are Affecting You Emotionally
Sustained evacuation uncertainty and loss take a real toll, including on people watching from a distance while family is in the fire area. The Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990 is staffed around the clock for exactly this, and 988 is the general crisis line. Using them is a normal response to an abnormal season.
A note on this page.PCSN acts only as a pointer to others’ work here: we accept nothing from, and have no relationship with, any organization listed. Funds are included on the basis of institutional standing and local verification. If a link breaks, a fund closes, or a community we should list is missing, tell us: contact@pnw-firemap.org. This page will be maintained for the duration of the season.
Sources
Oregon Department of Emergency Management, “Supporting Wildfire-Affected Communities” guidance. Innovia Foundation wildfire response announcement and fund page, August 2026. KHQ / Coeur d’Alene Press, regional relief fundraising coverage, August 3, 2026. KTVZ and KWSO, Bench Fire relief coverage and Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs official contacts, July 2026. KIVI, Owyhee County rancher relief coverage, July–August 2026. NIFC Incident Management Situation Report, August 4, 2026 (personnel committed). All funds re-verified at time of publication.