LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The devastation from the Southern California wildfires could claim many more casualties in the form of people missing their critical prescriptions and medical equipment.
With just minutes to evacuate, many residents simply escaped with their lives, leaving everything else behind.
"When we left we didn't pack anything," said Aurielle Hall of Altadena.
"We did not get anything at all because we thought our house would be okay," said Kiara Beltran of Altadena.
Now weeks later, many are without their necessary prescriptions and medical equipment. For some, the consequences could be dire.
"Hospitalizations, could be death even depending on what the medication is," said Sherri Cherman with Elements Pharmacy in Studio City.
She said to call your doctor and get your prescriptions transferred. Any pharmacy can help you because insurance companies are required to pay for prescriptions lost in a fire emergency.
"If it happens to be too early for the insurance to pay for the medications, there are provisions in place where insurances have to pay for replacement," she said.
If you run into roadblocks, pharmacies can dispense a reasonable amount of medication without a prescription.
"We can give that person a few pills to hold them over until we can get an authorization from the doctor. There are some exceptions, like controlled substances," Cherman said.
Besides pharmacies, many community organizations also provide emergency medicine access.
Another option? The prescription savings platform GoodRx. With the code, LA-GOODRX-CARE, the company is offering free tele-health visits to those impacted by wildfires.
"We're making it available where someone can see a licensed medical provider on GoodRx, get that prescription, get it sent to a pharmacy near them, or have it sent by mail, so that they can stay on those therapies and stay healthy," said GoodRx Co-Founder Doug Hirsch.
He said many of his family members lost homes. So he's seen the coverage issues many evacuees face.
"If you have an issue again, just show the GoodRx coupon. You can get that price. Obviously we encourage you to use insurance when possible. But if you're having an issue, we're there as a backstop," he said.
If your loss includes items like a CPAP machine or nebulizer, Cherman says a durable medical equipment company will work with your insurance plan to replace them. Plus, don't fall prey to scams like price gouging or sham deliveries for cash up front.
"When you get vulnerable and you're in need, there are lots of people out there trying to take advantage," Cherman said.