Ga., S.C. volunteers head to California to help wildfire victims
ATLANTA, Ga. - American Red Cross volunteers across the two-state region have arrived in California to the fight against the deadly wildfires.
“Our hearts go out to everyone impacted by these really devastating massive wildfires,” said Allison Flexner, development communications manager with the American Red Cross.
American Red Cross of Georgia has seven Georgians in California right now, helping people with the necessities.
“This is one of the worst times in their life,” said Flexner. “They’ve lost their homes, their belongings, their memories. They don’t know what’s next.”
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“We have been so overwhelmed by the we’ve received from our community and the folks across the nation who also reached out,” Renegade Paws says.
One of those Georgians is Jody Hall from Monroe. She just retired from the University of Georgia, and recently finished training with the organization. This is her first mission.
“Had to get through that ice storm and kind of figure out if the airport was opening back up and if we could get out,” she said.
Hall is situated at a fulfillment center, helping shelters get supplies to people in need.
“We take orders in from each of the shelters of what supplies they need. We take a look at the warehouse, we take a look at the storage trailers,” she said. “There are people in those shelters I think who have lost everything. What they have there with them is what they have left.”
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As the wildfire outbreak continues, Hall is just glad she can be of service to people who are dealing with the worst event of their lives.
“There are people who need help, and I would hope that if I went through a similar situation there would be people there to help me,” said Hall.
Five disaster-trained volunteers with The American Red Cross of South Carolina flew to Los Angeles, ing the fight against the fierce wildfires.
At least four of the fires, fueled by strong Santa Ana winds, have burned more than 62 square miles. Officials say firefighters are preparing for another round of dangerous winds that could again add fuel to the flames.
A spokesperson for Red Cross of South Carolina says the volunteers didn’t think twice about making the cross country trip to L.A.
“In fact, one that I told you about, he also experienced a natural disaster before,” said Nick Gibson, the regional communications manager for the organization. “He said that he just wanted to be able to help someone in need like he was helped in need during the time of his disaster.”
The five volunteers are providing food and shelter to victims. Gibson says they are prepared to deploy more volunteers if needed.
The volunteers are from across the Palmetto State including Seneca, Little River, Trenton, Bluffton and Pawleys Island.
The American Red Cross has served over 10,000 meals and provided over 5,000 victims with overnight shelter.
You can learn more about the organization’s efforts here.
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