Category: News

By CARL MANNING, American Red Cross Volunteer

When wildfire victims in the northern California mountain community of Weed come to the American Red Cross seeking help, one of the first people they likely will meet is volunteer Connie Hoffer, who has seen her share of devastating fires.

A volunteer from Littleton, Colorado for a nearly a decade, Connie has seen first hand several Colorado wildfires over the years and knows just how horrific a fast-burning, widespread fire can be.

Nestled at the base of Mount Shasta, Weed is a small community of barely 3,000 people. When the Boles Fire erupted on September 15, it quickly consumed 287 acres, destroying or damaging 162 homes. For this small community, it’s a loss that will never be forgotten. Continue reading Help and Healing in Weed

It was an all too familiar sight to Kari Guthrie as she saw smoke start to rise up over the hills near her home in Mosquito, California. It was the early beginning of the King Fire, a blaze in El Dorado County which has grown to over 82,000 acres across the drought-ravaged landscape since it first started on September 13. Continue reading Red Cross Volunteer Pays it Forward

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Wednesday, September 17, 2014 – Wildfire season is in full swing and the American Red Cross Capital Region is hard at work supporting communities affected by continuing, drought-fueled blazes throughout our 24-county territory.

American Red Cross Capital Region volunteers are hard at work assisting residents impacted by two large wildfires – the Boles Fire in the City of Weed (Siskiyou County) and the King Fire (El Dorado County). Since Sunday, the Red Cross has operated three shelters, providing overnight stays for more than 200 residents and serving hundreds of meals to the affected communities. Continue reading American Red Cross Responds to Northern California Wildfires

Written by Heath Wakelee, Red Cross Volunteer and Placer DAT Lead

Yesterday morning at 6:10 AM, my phone rang. I’d just finished a big breakfast in preparation for a hike that was now not going to happen. It was [Red Cross volunteer] Bob Eger asking if I could respond to a fire in Auburn with nine adults needing assistance. Continue reading Saving the Day with Placer County Disaster Action Team

Written By Caroline Nilsson, Red Cross Volunteer

Sequoia, aged six, and Twyla, aged nine, had never heard of the American Red Cross. But when heavy smoke from the Happy Camp Fire Complex descended upon their rural Northern California home in Siskiyou County, the became fast friends of the Red Cross at an evacuation  shelter in Yreka. Continue reading Children’s Art Graces Yreka Shelter

American Red Cross evacuation centers are now open in Napa and Vallejo for anyone affected by Sunday’s early morning 6.1 magnitude earthquake near American Canyon, California. Continue reading American Red Cross Opens Two Evacuation Centers Following Napa Quake

While recently digging through the archives at the offices of our Northeastern California Chapter (formerly known, as indicated in the following text, as the “Three Rivers Chapter”), we came across a lovely poem written 10 years ago by a young volunteer by the name of Danielle E. Terry. Continue reading Throwback Thursday – “Volunteers”

It was December of 1955 when torrential rains caused rivers to overflow and levees to break throughout Northern California. The resulting floods left many homes destroyed and families looking for help.

Among those to lose their home in the disaster was elementary school student, Martha Griese. For Martha and her family, as with all who had lost their homes, the impact was devastating. But Martha soon found comfort and hope in the form of the many Red Cross volunteers responding to provide disaster relief. Continue reading American Red Cross of Northeastern California CEO, Martha Griese, Retiring Following 10 Years of Dedicated Service

Written by Red Cross volunteer, Kimberly Hanlon

Some came on a voluntary evacuation and then there are those who arrived after emergency officials came pounding on their front door. On Saturday night, August 2, as the nearby Eiler Fire and Bald Fire spread across the landscape, residents of Johnson Park were evacuated from their homes, having only 15 minutes to gather what personal belongings they could. Neighbors found themselves in a panic as they processed what was a necessity and what memories were worth leaving behind. Continue reading Families Gather For Support in the Midst of NorCal Fires

~Capital Region deploys 16 volunteers to Washington for wildfire relief~

The Carlton Complex fires in eastern Washington has so far burned more than 280,000 acres and destroyed more than 150 homes. Red Cross disaster relief efforts are underway as volunteers from around the country are responding to provide shelter for evacuated residents and emergency relief for all those affected. Continue reading American Red Cross Sends Local Volunteers to Aid Eastern Washington Wildfire Response