Our thoughts are with everyone in Spokane County, Washington where wildfires have destroyed hundreds of homes and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate.
The American Red Cross is working around the clock to help those affected by the wildfires that broke out over the weekend and rapidly moved into heavily populated communities in and around Spokane, Washington. The fires have consumed more than 7,700 acres and are not contained.
As many as 65,000 people have had to evacuate with little warning. Numerous nursing homes and assisted living facilities were evacuated along with Whitworth University and the Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center. Many areas are still inaccessible, but early reports indicate the fires have destroyed more than 700 homes.
BLOOD SUPPLY CRISIS Meanwhile, the Red Cross has declared only the second national blood supply crisis in its history after blood donations fell to a four-year summer low, deepening an emergency shortage that threatens the availability of lifesaving blood for patients across the country. Don’t wait. Those who may be eligible are urged to book an appointment now at RedCrossBlood.org or 1-800-RED CROSS.
RED CROSSERS RESPOND “The final damage toll in Spokane is unknown. What is already clear is that hundreds of families have lost their homes, thousands have been displaced, and an entire community is entering the most difficult days of its disaster,” said Brad Kieserman, vice president, Red Cross Disaster Cycle Services Operations and Logistics. “Our job is to be present now, to remain present through recovery, and to ensure that people receive humane, timely and coordinated help wherever they are.”
Read how one man was ordered to evacuate and decided to help.
Disaster leadership teams are in Spokane and more than 200 Red Cross responders are deploying to the area to join our local volunteers who have been helping since the fires began.
Disasters like this create more needs than any one organization can meet on their own. The Red Cross is working very closely with the entire response community to coordinate emergency relief efforts and get help to people as quickly as possible.
The Red Cross is coordinating relief efforts with officials and partners to provide evacuees with a safe place to stay, food to eat and emotional support during this challenging time. When it is safe to do so, Red Cross teams will help with damage assessment. As the full scale of the damage becomes clearer, we are preparing to expand relief efforts as needed.
There are currently three shelters open and hundreds of people have stopped by or stayed overnight. The people staying in the shelters represent only a portion of the people displaced by the wildfires, with others staying in hotels, the homes of relatives and friends, or even in their vehicles. The Red Cross will make every effort to reach those affected.
NEED A SHELTER? You can find shelters by visiting redcross.org, using the free Red Cross Emergency app or by calling 1-800- RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). You can also check with local officials and monitor local news for information on where to get help. Anyone who has been affected is welcome to stop by a shelter for a hot meal, to charge their phone and get other support. We don’t ask for identification, and you don’t have to stay overnight.
WILDFIRES BURNING ACROSS THE WEST As the relief operation around Spokane gets underway, hundreds of Red Cross disaster workers are working across multiple states as other massive wildfires threaten neighborhoods and continue to force people from their homes.
Out west, wildfires are burning from Washington to southern California. Disaster teams have opened more than 40 shelters where people can access health services such as replacing lost eyeglasses or medications in addition to finding a safe place to stay. They have served more than 3,600 meals (including shelf-stable meals), more than 6,300 snacks and distributed almost 2,500 relief items. Red Cross disaster workers are also supporting damage assessment where it is safe to do so.
Disaster teams are keeping a close eye on evacuation orders and making sure all shelters are fully staffed and equipped for any surge in overnight stays as conditions lead to additional Level 3 “Go now!” evacuation orders.
YOU CAN HELP people affected by disasters like fires, floods and countless other crises by making a donation to Red Cross Disaster Relief. Donate by visiting redcross.org, calling 1- 800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small, whenever and wherever they occur across the country.
You can also help by becoming a volunteer. Put on a red vest and join us. Learn more by visiting redcross.org/volunteer.
Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) Through the generosity of our American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) and Disaster Responder members, the American Red Cross is prepared before disaster strikes. ADGP and Disaster Responder members help secure a reliable funding base for disaster relief services that enables the Red Cross to respond immediately, meeting the needs of individuals and families affected by disaster.
Mission Leader Members: Amazon; American Airlines; Bank of America; The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; The Coca-Cola Foundation; Costco Wholesale; Dollar General; Ford Philanthropy; Lowe's; State Farm
ADGP Leaders: Anheuser-Busch Foundation; Caterpillar Foundation; Chick-fil-A; CMA CGM Foundation; Delta Air Lines; Enterprise Mobility Foundation; FedEx; Honda; Lilly Endowment Inc.; Lockheed Martin Corporation; Mastercard; McDonald’s Corporation; Merck; Nationwide Foundation; PetSmart Charities; The Pfizer Foundation; The Starbucks Foundation; Takeda; Truist Foundation; VSP Vision; Walmart and the Walmart Foundation; The Walt Disney Company; Wells Fargo Foundation
ADGP Members: ALDI; The Allstate Foundation; Altria Group; Aon; Baxter International Foundation; Bread Financial; Capital One; Citi Foundation; The Clorox Company; Danaher Foundation; Darden Foundation; Delta Dental; Edison International Foundation; Elevance Health Foundation; Energy Transfer/Sunoco Foundation; Fox Corporation; GE Aerospace Foundation; General Motors; Google.org; Harbor Freight Tools Foundation, LLC; HCA Healthcare; The Home Depot Foundation; The J.M. Smucker Company; Johnson Controls Foundation; The Kroger Co. Foundation; Marathon Petroleum Corporation; Microsoft; Mondelēz International Foundation; New Balance Foundation; PayPal; Stryker; Suburban Propane; Target; The Winn-Dixie Company; The TJX Companies, Inc.; Toyota; United Airlines; UPS; USAA; U.S. Bank Foundation; Visa Foundation; The Wawa Foundation; Wesco; Wingstop Restaurants; Zoetis Foundation
Disaster Responder Program Members: 3M; 7-Eleven Cares Foundation; Adobe Foundation; The AES Corporation; Aflac; Albemarle Corporation; The Allstate Foundation; American Family Insurance; American Water Charitable Foundation; Ameriprise Financial; Assurant; AstraZeneca; Avangrid Foundation; Barclays; Bath & Body Works; Blue Cross Blue Shield Association; Build-A-Bear Foundation; Canadian National Railway; CDW; Charles Schwab Foundation; Cisco Systems, Inc. and Cisco Foundation; CNA Insurance; The Coca-Cola Foundation; CSX; The Deluxe Foundation; DENSO North America Foundation; DHL Supply Chain; DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation; Dollar General; Dollar Tree; Duke Energy; Dutch Bros Coffee; Edward Jones; Eli Lilly and Company Foundation; Enbridge; Equitable ; Erie Insurance; Farmers Insurance®; Fastenal; GEICO Philanthropic Foundation; Grainger; HP Foundation; International Paper; Invitation Homes; John Deere; Johnson & Johnson Foundation; Keurig Dr Pepper; Kimberly-Clark Corporation; The Kraft Heinz Company Foundation ; L'Oréal Groupe; The Labcorp Charitable Foundation; Lenovo ; Liberty Mutual Insurance; LKQ; Macy’s, Inc.; Major League Baseball; Martin Marietta; Masco Corporation; McKesson Foundation; MetLife Foundation; Mutual of Omaha Foundation; NextEra Energy, Inc.; Nike Foundation; Norfolk Southern; Northrop Grumman Foundation; Northwestern Mutual; Old Dominion Freight Line; Old Republic; Pacific Life Foundation; PepsiCo Foundation; Phillips 66; Pilot Company; Prudential; QBE Foundation; Qualcomm; Raymond James; RBC Foundation USA; Reckitt; Reynolds American Inc.; RGA Foundation; RTX; Ryder System, Inc.; Salesforce; Santander; Security Finance’s Lending Hand Foundation; ServiceNow; Southwest Airlines; Stanley Black & Decker; Sunbelt Rentals; T-Mobile; Tennant Company; Toyota Tsusho America, Inc.; Uber; U-Haul International; Uber; Ulta Beauty Charitable Foundation; US Foods; Westlake Corporation; Yum! Brands; Zurich
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.
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