As Fires Continue to Threaten California Residents, American Red Cross Aids Thousands Affected

SAN FRANCISCO (Map) - SAN FRANCISCO, June 27 /PRNewswire/ -- As firefighters continue to battle more than 1,000 blazes across California, American Red Cross volunteers are providing shelter, meals and comfort for those displaced by the fires. Moreover, the American Red Cross is working closely with the Office of Emergency Services to prepare for further evacuations if the fires turn worse, based on the predictions for temperatures and winds to increase over the weekend. Thousands of cots, blankets and meals are being sent to multiple locations as the American Red Cross proactively establishes its strategy for potential shelters.

"As our country's leader in disaster response, the American Red Cross is prepared to support those with needs in California and the country," said Harold Brooks, CEO of the Bay Area Chapter and California lead for disaster response of the American Red Cross. "The beauty of the Red Cross response system is in the consistency of training and execution. The same training and expertise utilized locally, when volunteers arrive on the scene of a single family fire in your city is exactly the same as the support given in China to a family devastated by an earthquake. It's really all about Cots, Blankets and Hugs -- and by having consistent training worldwide your friends and neighbors, that make up those amazing volunteers who provide their heroic service, can get off the plane and go right to work."

Additionally, Red Cross chapters across the state have sent volunteers to Midwestern states to provide disaster relief to people in the Midwest who have been hit hard by a series of tornadoes and severe flooding.

The American Red Cross trains volunteers in valuable, life-saving skills as well as shelter operations and mass care provision so that they are prepared to quickly meet a community's needs in any disaster, anywhere. "We are always training new volunteers, and with fire season starting so early this year, we encourage anyone wanting to volunteer to contact their local Red Cross chapter," said Brooks. "We've dispatched our volunteers all over California and the country, but we're still ready to help the next family in our community that needs us."

In addition to responding to disasters, such as wildfires, earthquakes and floods, the American Red Cross' largest response is to individual emergency needs, such as home and apartment fires. For example, in Los Angeles and the Bay Area, the American Red Cross responds to an average 500 disasters a year, supporting families with shelter, food, clothing and mental health counseling.

About American Red Cross

The American Red Cross has helped people mobilize to help their neighbors for 125 years. Last year, victims of a record 72,883 disasters, most of them fires, turned to the nearly 1 million volunteers and 35,000 employees of the Red Cross for help and hope. Through more than 750 locally supported chapters, more than 15 million people each year gain the skills they need to prepare for and respond to emergencies in their homes, communities and world. Almost 4 million people give blood-the gift of life-through the Red Cross, making it the largest supplier of blood and blood products in the United States. The Red Cross helps thousands of U.S. service members separated from their families by military duty stay connected. As part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, a global network of more than 180 national societies, the Red Cross helps restore hope and dignity to the world's most vulnerable people. An average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it relies on donations of time, money, and blood to do its work.