Apple Offers Support and Assistance for Those Affected by LA Wildfires

As wildfires in the Los Angeles area continue to blaze out of control, displacing more than 137,000 people and wiping out entire neighborhoods, Apple and its CEO have announced ways in which the company plans to help support the recovery effort and help those living in the impacted regions.

Earlier today, in a post on X, Tim Cook called the devastation “heartbreaking” and expressed his appreciation for the emergency responders and others assisting in their “heroic efforts.” Cook added that Apple will donate funds to assist in the recovery efforts, both for the victims and for those working to fight the fires and rescue those affected.

While this affects Apple’s home state of California, the company’s disaster relief assistance isn’t limited to that region. Apple has frequently made disaster relief donations for hurricanes, floods, and wildfires in other parts of the US and even abroad.

For example, in 2017 Apple donated funds for disaster relief efforts in southeastern Texas resulting from Hurricane Harvey, soliciting donations from employees and the public via its website and iTunes and matching them two-to-one. It ran similar campaigns in 2016 for the flooding in Louisiana and wildfires in Alberta, Canada, as well as Superstorm Sandy on the East Coast in 2012, and earthquakes in Japan and Haiti.

In 2021, Cook also pledged disaster relief in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida in Louisiana, and again for Haiti after a severe 7.2-magnitude earthquake.

Apple doesn’t typically reveal the size of the donations it makes for disaster relief, but they’re believed to be substantially more than mere token gestures.

Apple Card Relief

While Apple’s donations are expected to go to first-response and aid agencies who help victims rather than directly to the victims themselves, Apple and its banking partner Goldman Sachs are doing something for the company’s financial customers.

As shared by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple Card holders who live in the wildfire zone have been receiving notifications that they “may be eligible” for assistance with their payments.

This isn’t a policy specific to the LA wildfires, but is actually a standard perk of the Apple Card. We first heard of it in 2019 when folks affected by flooding from tropical storm Imelda received similar emails from Apple suggesting they apply for the “Disaster Relief Program.”

Per Gurman’s tweet, the notifications are sent to customers with registered addresses in a “natural disaster zone” as defined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Apple’s “Disaster Relief Program” offers to defer payments on the Apple Card without incurring late fees or accruing interest. Accounts in good standing will remain so while the customer is enrolled, but folks can apply even if their account is past due to ensure that it doesn’t go further past due during that time.

The Disaster Relief Program isn’t automatic. Cardholders will need to contact Apple Card Support via Messages to enrol, which can be done from the “Account Details” of the Apple Card in the Wallet app. While the notifications are only being sent out to those with registered addresses in the disaster zone, anyone who is living in that area should contact Apple Card Support.