No stranger to natural disasters, Pasadena resident Pedro Rojas keeps a safety bag in his car with essentials like a jacket, gloves and running shoes in case he needs to flee at a moment’s notice.

By Chad Terhune and Rollo Ross LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Los Angeles officials told most evacuees from the wildfires on Thursday to stay away from their homes at least another week as emergency responders remove toxic waste from incinerated neighborhoods and cut off electricity and gas lines posing a hazard amid the ruins.

John Hope Bryant writes about how the solutions—creative, bold, and compassionate—to this devastating crisis are in our hands.