Dozens of historic deadly wildfires continue to consume millions of acres in the west, especially in California, Oregon and Washington where in some cases entire towns have been destroyed and tens of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes.
Red Cross volunteer, David Boyles, is one of four volunteers departing tomorrow in Red Cross emergency response vehicles to assist those impacted by wildfires in Oregon. David will pick up the emergency response vehicle today at 12:30 p.m. from the Red Cross offices in Rockford, located at 727 N. Church Street. He and fellow volunteer Bill Elenitsky will be driving to Portland, Oregon from Moline, Illinois on Sunday.
David recently returned from a two-week deployment from Louisiana where he assisted with Red Cross relief efforts after the widespread devastation brought by Hurricane Laura.
He is joining 52 volunteers from the Illinois region who are currently deployed in Texas, Louisiana and Oregon. Over 2,000 Red Cross volunteers are assisting communities impacted by disasters across the country.
These emergency response vehicles will aid in disaster relief to mobilize supplies such as food, water and snacks, clean-up kits, and other items once they arrive in Portland. Another team of volunteers from the Illinois region will be leaving tomorrow from Decatur, Illinois.
The American Red Cross is there to help those affected by these massive and widespread fires and will continue to assist residents as the figure out next steps.
HOW YOU CAN HELP You can help people affected by disasters like wildfires by making a gift to Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. Visit redcross.org, call 800-RED-CROSS, or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
About the American Red Cross of Illinois
The American Red Cross of Illinois serves 12.4 million people in 88 counties in Illinois, Iowa and Missouri including Adams, Bond, Boone, Brown, Bureau, Carroll, Cass, Champaign, Christian, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Cook, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, DeKalb, De Witt, Douglas, DuPage, Edgar, Effingham, Fayette, Ford, Franklin, Fulton, Green, Grundy, Hamilton, Hancock, Henderson, Henry, Iroquois, Jasper, Jefferson, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Knox, LaSalle, Lake, Lee, Livingston, Logan, Macon, Macoupin, Marion, Marshall, Mason, McDonough, McHenry, McLean, Menard, Mercer, Montgomery, Morgan, Moultrie, Ogle, Peoria, Perry, Piatt, Pike, Putnam, Richland, Rock Island, Sangamon, Schuyler, Scott, Shelby, Stark, Stephenson, Tazewell, Vermillion, Warren, Washington, Whiteside, Will, Williamson Winnebago, Woodford. Iowa: Lee, Muscatine, Scott and Van Buren. Missouri: Clark, Lewis, Marion and Ralls. The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit us at Redcross.org/Illinois or visit us on Twitter @RedCrossIL.