By Mauri Shuler
(Photo by Frank Schulenburg)
Bill Hahn, 84, brought his wife, Patsy, home from the hospital to their home in Calistoga on Tuesday night before the fires came. Patsy, who had fallen, was released with bruises and a neck brace. They went to sleep and then were awakened by banging on the door at 1 a.m. They were told to evacuate immediately. Read more
By Jim Burns
Erika Cunningham, right, is comforted by two Red Cross workers at a shelter in Santa Rosa.
Like many Santa Rosa residents, Erika Cunningham was initially disoriented by the “reverse 9-1-1” phone call that awakened her from a deep sleep in the early morning hours of October 9. Standing in her kitchen moments later, she was trying to make sense of the phone message, which she had only partially heard. Read more
By Karina Duetch
(Photo by Marko Kokic / Finley Community Center, Red Cross Shelter, Santa Rosa, California)
Maggie Y. was still up on the evening of Sunday, October 8, when she heard strong winds outside. Thinking there must be a thunderstorm in the area causing such strong winds, Maggie stepped outside to secure her lawn furniture. When she did not see rain, she reentered her home, which almost immediately lost power. A few moments later, her home’s smoke alarm began to sound. The piercing sound was the first indication she received that made her think it might be time to get out of her home. It seemed as if the fires that were quickly consuming the mountainside of Santa Rosa were also out-running the local government’s ability to warn residents to evacuate. Read more
By Jim Burns
Luana Cobb and her son, Daniel, take a break in the cafeteria at a Red Cross shelter in Santa Rosa.
Sitting in an American Red Cross Shelter three long days after a fast-moving wildfire forced them to flee their Santa Rosa mobile home, Luana Cobb and her son Daniel were slowly coming to grips with their new reality on Wednesday. Read more
By Jim Burns
Sam and Mickie Orchard are shown inside a Red Cross shelter in Santa Rosa.
Sam and Mickie Orchard had their bags packed on a Sunday night in October, prepared to leave their Santa Rosa home the next day for a vacation in Palm Springs. Instead, shortly after 2 a.m. on that Monday, October 9, the couple took an unplanned trip to a shelter the American Red Cross opened at the Finley Community Center in town. Read more
As you know, our friends and neighbors in Lake County and in communities across the state endured a relentless series of devastating wildfires this past summer. Today, our work continues, where Red Cross staff and volunteers continue to collaborate to ensure residents have the extra assistance they need to rebuild, not just as individuals but as a whole community, too.
Click HERE to read a six-month Stewardship Report that provides a first-hand look at your generously donated dollars at work, detailing our continued support and recovery efforts in the community.
Thank you for your support and commitment to help those affected by these wildfires. Your generosity makes the hope of recovery possible at a time when people need it the most.
Your Red Cross Update 