American Red Cross volunteers Royce Wolfe and Angelina Arellano are a work team supporting wildfire relief supplies distribution in Altadena. Photo: Marcia Antipa/American Red Cross
With a cheerful greeting, American Red Cross volunteer Royce Wolfe lightens the mood as he hands out disaster relief supplies to people in communities recovering from recent wildfires in Southern California.
Royce and fellow volunteer Angelina Arellano – both from San Diego – spend all day driving through neighborhoods to find people in need of help. Their job is to hand out cleanup kits, water and other essentials.
In Altadena, Royce and Angelina came across Dora Abzun and her mother Cristina Felipe. The two women were checking on their home, which escaped the fires that engulfed neighboring houses. All of Dora’s family members managed to evacuate safely.
“I gathered up our important papers, including passports. Then I remembered the hamster and ran back. I saved the hamster but left all the paperwork behind!” laughs Dora.
Dora suffers from asthma and cannot stay in the smoke-filled neighborhood. She gratefully accepted water, face masks, flashlights, toilet paper and other items.
Another Altadena resident Estela Valladares and her family evacuated during the fire. They’re back home now, and have power, but no gas for cooking or hot showers. Estela said they’re thankful for relief supplies from the Red Cross team.
“It helps a lot. We really needed these things because we were not prepared for this.”
Angelina drives the team’s relief truck and has responded to several disasters. She says these wildfires are the worst she has experienced. “I’ve never seen so many homes burned and so many people displaced at the same time.”
It’s the desire to help people like Estela that motivates Angelina to continue answering the Red Cross call to serve.
“I’m pretty sure that if something happened to me that I would like somebody with a smile coming around to help me out,” says Angelina. “It’s nice to be that person for somebody that may need it.”
Red Cross volunteers are distributing relief supplies to people in neighborhoods affected by the wildfires in Southern California. Photo: Marcia Antipa/American Red Cross
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