LOS ANGELES, April 5, 2021 — The American Red Cross Los Angeles Region experienced an unusually busy March this year, responding to 35 home fire events during the course of 31 days.
Home fires account for 90 percent of all disaster responses, and for the month of March, Red Cross volunteers provided 293 people support and guidance through their disaster recovery journey.
The evening of March 31, a large industrial area fire in Compton spread to a residentially occupied area, forcing dozens of people to evacuate, damaging multiple homes. The Red Cross Disaster Action Team (DAT) initially supported the community by setting up a Temporary Evacuation Point (TEP). Located in a nearby school parking lot, evacuees safely gathered and received water, snacks and updated information from the Red Cross workforce. Those whose homes were damaged or were unable to return to the smoke-filled area for health reasons received continued support from the Red Cross to meet their specific recovery needs.
Earlier in the month on March 5, the Red Cross DAT volunteers responded to a devastating fire in Panorama City that impacted an apartment building and a condominium complex, initially displacing more than 100 individuals. For two weeks, 14 families received hotel lodging, meals and resources to support all affected towards their recovery. A Red Cross workforce of 96 people responded in some capacity, including caseworkers, mental health and healthcare professionals and community liaisons.
The Red Cross also worked closely with community partners to find solutions to urgent needs, including the Salvation Army’s assistance to secure long-term housing solutions and utility companies to return services to unaffected units ahead of schedule.
“We reached across many different lines of services to help ease this heartbreaking situation” said Grant Graves, volunteer mass care chief for the operation. “This response demanded we extend our usual capacities further into the community to better support the residents’ many needs.”
Every day, people are forced from their homes due to fires, storms and other disasters. Trained and available volunteers are ready to respond to these emergencies, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. From offering a caring ear to meeting immediate to connecting people with long-term recovery, our volunteers help ensure that families do not have to face tough times alone.
Red Cross volunteers have been trained to maintain social distancing and follow proper safety procedures to continue serving communities impacted by local disasters, during the coronavirus outbreak.