By Kathleen Maclay, Red Cross volunteer
The Red Cross shelters at Middletown High and Middle Schools doesn’t need to broadcast popular cartoons or the latest superhero films, not with six-year-old Ben Hodgen Jr. in the house. Read more
by Kathleen Maclay, Red Cross volunteer
Some 13 pallets of canned water donated by Anheuser-Busch to the Red Cross in its response to the Mendocino Complex wildfires arrived in Middletown on Monday.
Anheuser-Busch sent two truckloads with more than 100,000 cans of clean, safe emergency drinking water to help communities hit by devastating wildfires in California. The water, from the Cartersville Brewery in Georgia, was sent to Ukiah and Redding at the request of the American Red Cross. The water was distributed to the American Red Cross with the help of Eagle Distributing Co. in Ukiah and Foothill Distributing Co. in Redding. Read more
By Kathleen Maclay, Red Cross volunteer
When orders came to evacuate Lucerne, a community of 3,000 on the southeastern edges of Clear Lake, Robert Peterson and his two young daughters were ready to skedaddle.
“We had the car packed and all the kids’ stuff loaded,” he said Saturday morning, less than 24 hours after he and his family fled the town he’s called home for eight years. A resident for a dozen years in this county where some say wildfires “are the new normal,” Peterson said the urgent departure marked his first-ever evacuation. Read more
By Susanne Lafaver, Red Cross volunteer
Dean and Patrica Ebbeson chatted with Red Cross volunteer Kathleen Maclay about the time they spent in the military.
Photo credit: Virginia Becker | American Red Cross
When Lakeport residents Dean and Patricia Ebbeson evacuated to a Red Cross shelter after fleeing the Mendocino Complex Fire, they found safety and comfort amid an almost celebratory atmosphere, and also came across valuable new military veteran benefits. Read more
By Kathleen Maclay, Red Cross volunteer
On his final day of work in his 39-year career, Jim Camarillo of Menlo Park rose early to join other volunteers at the American Red Cross shelter at the Twin Pines Casino in Middletown, where nearly 100 men, women and children had taken refuge the night before from the ravages of the Mendocino Complex fire. Read more
By Susanne Lafaver, Red Cross volunteer
Many first-time Lake County fire evacuees sought shelter at the American Red Cross shelter at Middletown High School during the Mendocino Complex Fire.
“We didn’t know what to expect,” said Daniel Waggoner of Lakeport. “We felt welcomed right away. The Red Cross really cared about my wife and me, and didn’t leave us until they were we each had a cot, blanket, toiletries, water, snacks, and everything we needed.” Read more
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