“I’m excited to utilize this new space as we continue our mission to take care of our neighbors when they need it most,” said South Puget Sound and Olympics Chapter Executive Director Dan Wirth. A second new office opened in Everett, Washington in July.

Wildfires near Spokane forced thousands to evacuate their homes in August. Disaster workers in the Northwest Region quickly activated to provide safe shelter and care. We provided help and hope to those who had to evacuate. Here are some of their stories.

Serving the military for more than 140 years, Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces programs provide critical services supporting US military members, veterans and their families. Many local volunteers choose to serve in medical military facilities.

Joyce Cabildo recalls a stressful evacuation from her home in Medical Lake due to the Gray Wildfire. Now, coming to terms with the degree of loss is not easy. “This was a whole community devastated by the fire,” she said. “We are trying to absorb that.”

Susan Raley, a resident of one neighborhood the Red Cross targeted for this program, gave the approach high marks. “They are trying to educate people, and education always works better than enforcement. It’s making people change their embedded ways.”

This summer, Cara Elzie, a Northwest Region Volunteer, traveled with Red Cross youth from across the U.S. to Jumbara Bakti-Gembira, an event put on by the Indonesian Red Cross.

Over 70 homes and 260 people are safer from home fires after Sound the Alarm events in Yakima this spring. Together with community partners, we installed nearly 200 free smoke alarms in this community alone. Nearly 1500 people were helped region wide.

Lisa Gardner of Spokane, WA, is a lifelong sickle cell patient who understands the need to increase the need for blood donors who are Black. She’s helped spread the word about the need for diversity in blood donations for local Red Cross blood drives.

Our Northwest Region trained over 2,500 youth in 2023. Including 90 5th-graders at Barge-Lincoln Elementary in Yakima. Our programs increase understanding of natural hazards and teach safety and emotional coping skills in the event of an emergency.

Innovation teams at the Red Cross have been working with tech organizations based in the Northwest Region to reimagine the process of damage assessment after a disaster using artificial intelligence.

“I have seen the Red Cross mission in action across the country. It is an honor to now support this work in the Northwest Region. I look forward to building even stronger community connections for our team as we alleviate human suffering at home."

When Susan Langfitt of Lacey, WA, recalls her most memorable deployment, it involved the 20-hour battle for Mogadishu, Somalia that became the basis for the movie Black Hawk Down.