West LA Times

The recent wildfires in Los Angeles County have highlighted significant challenges related to language barriers for Asian American residents. Nearly 50,000 Asian Americans were within the evacuation zones during the January 2025 wildfires, with over 12,000 requiring language assistance due to limited English proficiency. The most commonly spoken languages among these communities are Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.

A new data brief by UCLA researchers and the AAPI Equity Alliance underscores the need for targeted multilingual emergency strategies. "Knowing the language needs of Asian Americans ensures that they have access to life-saving information and that any efforts foster an inclusive disaster response," said Paul Ong, research professor at UCLA.

Language assistance needs vary significantly among Asian American communities in Los Angeles County. Over half a million of the county's more than 1.4 million Asian American residents have limited English proficiency (LEP). The highest LEP rates are found among Vietnamese, Chinese, and Korean Americans.

Older Asian Americans face higher rates of LEP at 61% compared to younger generations at 15%. Melany De La Cruz-Viesca from UCLA highlighted the importance of accessibility for older generations: "Often disaster recovery program descriptions rely on jargon...This can make these groups also susceptible to scams."

In specific wildfire evacuation zones such as Eaton and Palisades, a significant portion of the Asian population has limited English proficiency. Manjusha Kulkarni from AAPI Equity Alliance stated that "Asian Americans have been overlooked by efforts for emergency preparedness," emphasizing the need for prioritizing language needs in government response plans.

The researchers recommend several steps to enhance multilingual communication: regularly assessing language needs, providing culturally appropriate materials, strengthening partnerships with community organizations, facilitating local discussions with translators, and implementing multilingual alert systems.

These recommendations aim to ensure all residents are included in recovery efforts. The report is part of a series examining the impacts of January's wildfires on diverse communities in Los Angeles.