By Monique Dugaw
Veronica Padillah is staying at the Red Cross shelter at Napa Valley Community College along with 10 of her family members, including her grandchildren, Jeremy (25 days old) and Rosa (5 years), who are pictured with her.
By Cindy Huge
(Photo by Cindy Huge)
“I saw the glow over the hill to the south, and I knew it was a fire,” said Taylor Finlay.
Quickly fleeing his home of many years, Finley had time to grab only a few items, one of them being his precious, hand-carved walking stick. He was one of thousands of residents who sought shelter with the American Red Cross, as the California wildfires broke out last week in Santa Rosa. Read more
By Ellis Levinson
When I met Andrea Allman at the Red Cross Community Assistance Center in Santa Rosa this month, I expected to learn how the Tubbs wildfire affected her emotionally. I didn’t expect to learn a personal lesson. Read more
By Mauri Shuler
When Gail Hale was suddenly evacuated from her home this month because of wildfire, she joined hundreds of others at a Red Cross shelter in Santa Rosa. Upon arrival, she found herself still stunned by the fast-moving fires — and the fact that they had resulted in the total loss of her home. “A wonderful woman greeted me, made sure I had a soft blanket, and talked with me; she was great,” Gail recalled. Read more
By Ellis Levinson
As the Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV) pulled up at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic church in Calistoga, California, a crowd of mostly women immediately gathered. They were in need of basic items for their families. The truck was their best hope for relief from the financial strains created when the wildfires swept through three counties north of San Francisco this month. Read more
By Mauri Shuler
There were 3 babies born a few days ago at an evacuation shelter in Santa Rosa, California. Not human babies, but babies, nonetheless. Three little lambs are being sheltered at the County Fairgrounds along with the adult sheep and a motley crew of other large animals.
While the Red Cross takes care of people and their pets during and after a disaster, the large animals affected by a disaster like the massive fires in California are handled by other agencies. In Sonoma County, Animal Control has been sheltering all of the large animals.
When Marilyn Ingstrom heard about the fire, she drove through flames to get to her veterinary hospital to rescue the one cat that was there. Marilyn has been here since that morning. She arrived at 2:30 a.m. with her 6 dogs and 1 cat in the cab of her truck.
“As a veterinary technician, I just knew I could help,” she said. “Also I grew up on a farm and love all the big animals.”
So, they arrived. Horses, alpacas, llamas, goats, pigs, chickens, and sheep. She can’t tell us yet exactly how many. Some of their owners sleep in the tack room or in trailers nearby to be with their animals.
Marilyn did not lose her home but has 32 friends who did. “I guess I’m lucky, but my veterinary hospital burned down so I’m out of a job.”
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Jim Burns provided editorial support for this story.
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