The American Red Cross and many community partners and agencies continue to deliver humanitarian assistance to families in Calaveras, Amador, and Lake counties one month after two of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history sparked. The Butte and Valley fires burned more than 150,000 square acres and destroyed more than 1,700 homes, displacing thousands of families.

Red Cross and community volunteers began helping within the first minutes of the fires, providing shelter, food, water, basic necessities, mental health, and basic health services for thousands of people in the path of the wildfires. As evacuation orders were lifted, Red Cross volunteers working together with many community members, distributed drinking water, hot meals, and clean-up and relief supplies to impacted neighborhoods supporting people as they returned to their properties. Red Cross caseworkers are meeting one-on-one with each family affected by the wildfires to understand each unique situation and help them on the road to recovery with the information, assistance, and access to resources from numerous partner agencies.

“As the fire ignited, neighbors came together to help one another showing the generosity of their communities,” said Anne Reynolds, American Red Cross California Wildfires Coordinating Officer. “Disasters are often complex, with complex needs – and no single agency can meet every need on its own. It takes the talents and resources of many agencies and organizations working together to provide necessary services after a major disaster.”

California Wildfires Response by the Numbers:

• Over 120,000 meals and snacks served by Salvation Army, Southern Baptist, community groups, local restaurants and the Red Cross.

• Over 58,000 relief items water, snacks, hot meals, non-perishable meals, and clean-up items such as work gloves, buckets, trash bags, sifters, and dust masks.

• Over 11,000 overnight stays in 12 community or Red Cross shelters.

• Over 9,900 health and mental health contacts.

• Over 1,500 cases opened by Red Cross caseworkers to provide individualized recovery support.

People affected by the Valley, Butte and Rough fires are encouraged to register for FEMA assistance by calling 1-800-621-3362 or TTY 1-800-462-7585. Online registration is also available at: www.DisasterAssistance.gov.

Red Cross Information Hotline can still be reached at (855) 224-2490 to learn about Red Cross assistance available.

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters, supplies nearly half of the nation’s blood, teaches lifesaving skills, provides international humanitarian aid, and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. The Gold Country Region serves a 24 county territory including Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, Yolo, and Yuba counties.