ATLANTA — The American Red Cross of Georgia said they’re deploying volunteers from the Peach State to California to help with evacuations due to ongoing wildfires on the west coast.
According to the organization, eight disaster-trained volunteers from Georgia are deploying to California to help support disaster relief operations in the southern part of the state, “where dangerous wildfires are burning, forcing thousands of people to evacuate.”
So far, the Red Cross said tens of thousands of Californians have been forced from their homes and the organization is working alongside their partners to provide safe shelter, food, emotional support and health services.
“It’s a passion of mine to serve,” Marzetta Dennis, a Red Cross volunteer from Covington, said. Dennis deployed to Los Angeles on Thursday. “From a very early age, I dedicated my life to serving and the Red Cross provides me with meaningful opportunities to support various communities.”
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The current situation in California is made more challenging due to “hurricane-force winds” that ave fanned the fires, making it harder for firefighters to contain the blazes while thousands of acres burn.
The Red Cross said the threat there isn’t over and more communities remain at risk, adding that the “climate crisis has been a key driver in increasing the risk and extent of wildfires in the western U.S. during the last two decades.”
For the Georgia chapter of the American Red Cross, more disaster-trained workers are ready to deploy as requested in the effort to provide relief and support during the wildfires in California.
The American Red Cross is urging people to volunteer, donate blood or make donations to help provide relief where it’s most needed.
The organization says to visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to donate.
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