Taylor Poisall, with the American Red Cross, explains how they're helping wildfire evacuees.
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00:00The Park Fire, which is now the fifth largest wildfire in modern California history, has been
00:05burning. And the American Red Cross is, to no surprise, there on the ground to provide help.
00:10They do a lot of good things when people are in need, and this is yet another case. So Taylor
00:13Poiseuille is national spokesperson for the American Red Cross. Taylor, thanks so much for
00:18making time for us yet again. Thank you for having us on to share about the great work our Red Cross
00:23volunteers are doing. Well, we understand that they are busy, and I know that you're a little
00:28removed geographically, but you're still in California in Fresno, so you're well connected
00:33with what's going on just to your north. How is the American Red Cross helping during the Park
00:38Fire, and did many evacuations need shelter? Our hearts go out to the communities who are
00:44once again impacted by wildfires in their area. Up in the north, with residents affected by the Park
00:51Fire, Red Cross has three shelters open caring for almost 100 people who have been displaced from
00:57their homes, and a lot of them have been displaced again. This is a familiar feeling,
01:03unfortunately, as they are evacuated from another devastating wildfire, and the Red Cross is there
01:09to provide comfort, care, shelter, and emotional support during this tragic time. And with smoke
01:16and dangerous air quality, there are a lot of different needs here. So are the relief needs
01:21different when you're helping wildfire victims compared to, say, after a hurricane?
01:27Wildfires are a little bit different because they keep people away from their homes for longer
01:32amounts of time. You have to evacuate from your home for safety. You have to wait for those
01:37evacuation orders to downgrade. We're seeing some evacuations change here and there with the fire
01:45in northern California for the Park Fire, which is a good sign. That means that firefighters are
01:50getting containment of the fire, and it helps residents be able to begin their recovery.
01:56With a hurricane, sometimes you are able to go home a little more quickly, or at least to be
02:01able to begin your recovery faster. And what is next? What kinds of help will the Red Cross
02:07be providing into the weekend? Right now, we're focused on making sure that everyone's physical
02:13and emotional needs are being met. We have Red Cross nurses who are there in our shelters
02:19for people who may have left with the clothes they had on their backs, making sure that they
02:23have medications and medical equipment replaced as they're evacuated from their home. And we also
02:29have caseworkers who are going to be meeting with each individual to see what their next steps are,
02:34what kind of support they need, and how we can connect them to our network of partners to begin
02:39to recover. And if anybody wants to help, the financial contributions can be sent via texting
02:45to 90999, or you can certainly go to the American Red Cross' website, and there are many options
02:50there. Taylor Poisson with the American Red Cross, thanks again for joining us. Thank you.