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 Ellis Levinson
Rising more than 2,000 feet above Napa Valley, Lokoya Mountain Lodge once stood as a refuge for the well-heeled. The resort burned to the ground in the 1950s. Eventually the remaining cabins gave way to development and 19 homesites sprang up in their place. But because of this month’s Northern California wildfires, those houses followed in the lodge’s path. The wind-driven flames left not a single home standing. Read more
By Mauri Shuler
His Napa Valley ranch house was just yards from the raging fire two weeks ago, and Kelly McDonald says he’s grateful it was miraculously spared.
“We ran out in the middle of the night, and my boots began melting,” he said. Read more
By Mauri Shuler
As the firestorm swept through the California wine country, the entire town of Calistoga was evacuated and many residents, including at least a thousand agricultural workers, drove to the Red Cross shelter in Napa.
By Mauri Shuler
Fire and other natural disasters do not discriminate; they have the potential to destroy everything in their path. Wealthy or poor, black or white, Christian or Muslim — disasters do not discriminate. For many at the Red Cross, the North Bay fires this month hit very close to home, with Red Crossers being among the many people affected. Read more
By Cindy Huge
(Photo by Cindy Huge)
With only a few moments notice, Marianne Majer quickly evacuated her home of 47 years.
“I woke up to my neighbors loudly knocking on my door,” she recalls. “They said I must immediately evacuate due to a fire in the area. I grabbed my purse, car keys, medication, and a few clothes and quickly left my home,” Majer said. Read more
Your Red Cross Update 