Return of strong winds to Los Angeles threatens area's fight against fires

More than 20,000 donors have given a total of $14 million to the nonprofit California Community Foundation to support recovery efforts prompted by the Southern California wildfires, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said.

"I want to acknowledge the thousands of Angelenos who have come together all across the city to help -- hundreds, thousands of people just showing up, who are providing resources and supplies for victims," Bass said at a Tuesday morning news conference.

The mayor also thanked the Walt Disney Co., Netflix, the Wasserman Foundation, the Hilton Foundation, the Annenberg Foundation, Snap Inc. "and so many others for donating millions of dollars to relief efforts.

More than 20,000 donors have given a total of $14 million to the nonprofit California Community Foundation to support recovery efforts prompted by the Southern California wildfires, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said.

"L.A., we stand together," Bass said. "We will do what we need to be safe over the next couple of days, and then we rebuild. We will rebuild Los Angeles and make Los Angeles the world-class city that we are."

Donations to the California Community Foundation's wildfire recovery fund can be made by visiting the organization's website.

The Walt Disney Co. is the parent company of ABC7.

Multiple fires raging across the Los Angeles area will cost insurers as much as $30 billion, Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs estimated in a report released this week.

After accounting for non-insured damages, the total costs will balloon to $40 billion, the report said.

The ongoing fires, according to analysts, appear to already be the costliest wildfire event in California history.

READ MORE | LA fire costs could reach $30 billion for insurers

A "particularly dangerous situation" with a red flag warning is in effect for parts of L.A. County and most of Ventura County on Tuesday, weather officials said, with winds threatening to further fuel the region's wildfires.

The warning went into effect at 4 a.m. and will last through noon Wednesday. Winds are forecast to gust between 45 mph to 70 mph, with relative humidity as low as 8%.

The PDS warning stretches across a large swath of Southern California. Though it doesn't include the area where the Palisades Fire is burning, but does get very close to the Eaton Fire in the Altadena area.

The highest wind gusts reached 72 mph in the San Gabriel Mountains early Tuesday and 50 mph in the Malibu area.

The strongest gusts are expected Tuesday morning and early afternoon, which will then be followed by a break in the evening. More gusty winds are expected Wednesday morning.

ABC News contributed to this reporting.

Many businesses in Santa Monica are doing what they can to help wildfire victims, turning their shops into mini donation centers.

OpenClosit, a designer rental shop on Montana Avenue, collected all sorts of essentials, including clothing, toiletries, baby items and more.

"I'm devastated with the way things look, and I don't know how to comprehend it in the same way as everyone else is, but I do know that what we have is such an incredible community of people who just want, in any way, to help," said OpenClosit Founder Johanna Moonan.

Many businesses in Santa Monica are doing what they can to help wildfire victims, turning their shops into mini donation centers.

Down the street at Bijou Indochine Jewelry, owner Natalie Vo Karlin is offering free toiletries, laundry items, and even coloring books for kids since she doesn't have the capacity to take donations.

Both business owners just want to give back to the community they love.

"We have this opportunity to give back, even as little as this is, I just want to make sure to be open to check on the people that are in the area," said Karlin. "I want to make sure to give them hugs if they need it. I want to make sure that they're ok. Sometimes they just need that."