RED CROSS OF ALASKA STAFF MEMBER DEPLOYS TO CANADIAN WILDFIRE RESPONSE
Local Red Cross Assists in Wildfire Relief Efforts in British Columbia
ANCHORAGE, AK, AUGUST 3, 2017 —American Red Cross of Alaska Disaster Program Manager, Celia Jackson, deployed Saturday, July 29 to Prince George in British Columbia, Canada to support the Canadian Red Cross wildfire relief efforts.
Jackson is one of over 2 dozen American Red Cross responders deployed to Canada in support of the Canadian Red Cross response to 739 active wildfires in British Columbia. These blazes, many of which have raged out of control for weeks, resulted in the evacuations of more than 49,000 people, the deployment of over 3,800 firefighters, and the burning of nearly 1 million acres. To put that in perspective, the area burned is about the size of Grand Canyon National Park in the U.S.
Jackson’s deployment is scheduled for 21 days, with a return date scheduled for August 19. So far Jackson has spent her time in British Columbia as a department lead for the Casework Management team. Her duties include providing casework follow-up to individuals who have received Red Cross assistance, maintaining casework files, providing orientation and casework training to new volunteers and general support of ongoing activities of Casework Services.
“This is an exciting opportunity to learn and I hope to bring lots of valuable expertise back to Alaska,” Jackson said.
ADDITIONAL CANADIAN RED CROSS BC WILDFIRE RESOURCES
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About the American Red Cross of Alaska:
The American Red Cross of Alaska offers food, shelter, comfort and hope to Alaskans when disasters strike. The Red Cross of Alaska is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers to perform its mission. We are not a government agency, and we rely primarily on the generosity of our fellow Alaskans and businesses to help us fund our vital programs. For more information, please visit redcross.org/Alaska or follow us on Twitter at @redcrossak.
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