American Red Cross volunteers helping with wildfire disaster relief

The wildfires in California continue to ravage the Los Angeles area, with evacuation orders still in effect. At the moment, at least five people have died along with thousands of buildings destroyed in the flames. While firefighters are continuing to extinguish the flames, the American Red Cross is sending volunteers to help. Nearly 20 American Red Cross volunteers from Minnesota and Wisconsin are assisting with disaster relief efforts.

Dan Williams is the Executive Director for the American Red Cross serving Northern Minnesota and Wisconsin. He says the current plan of action for volunteers from the Northland is finding places for people to stay temporarily. Some of the immediate shelters where residents are staying at are schools, or community centers.

“Right now we have about 20 volunteers from Minnesota and Wisconsin who have already deployed. So the volunteers are deployed right now. All of them have gone out and sheltering immediate sheltering of people that have been displaced.”

Many Red Cross volunteers helping with the disaster relief in California also helped after Hurricane Helene flooded North Carolina in the Appalachia region. Williams said this is a similar situation for people recovering from both natural disasters.

“You might think how it’s so different, right? One’s a very rural area, one’s a very urban area, but what’s the same is the uncertainty. So people told to evacuate, or they need to evacuate, because there’s this looming thing happening, They’re in danger and they don’t know what has happened, right? ‘Is my house okay? What about my neighbor’s pets?’ That kind of thing. So there’s a lot of uncertainty and fear and it can sometimes take a lot of time to figure out what that outcome is.”

If people are thinking about signing up to be a volunteer to help with the wildfire disaster relief in California, Williams says people who sign up now will most likely assist with the next natural disaster.

“So the volunteers that are going out to California right now, may have become volunteers because they heard about the impact of Hurricane Helene. They’ve gotten training, they’re ready to go, they’re now out helping. So if people want to become volunteers, it’s really the next disaster that you become a volunteer for.”

If you want to help out without having to volunteer, you can help give a financial contribution to the American Red Cross. Also for other stories about the American Red Cross you can read more here.