Update: Friday, July 13, 2018 – All Red Cross shelters for the Colorado Fires of 2018 have been closed. The Red Cross will turn its focus to helping people recover from this disaster. With over 200 homes destroyed by wildfires support will be needed for communities and individuals. If you are in need of Red Cross […]
Story by: Roger Enix The Red Cross shelter in Blanca-Fort Garland hosted a couple with a true love story today (July 4th), undeterred by the Spring Fire. Steven Williams, his family, and his girlfriend – Brittney Brewer – were visiting Colorado from Tennessee when bad luck and bad timing interrupted Steven’s careful planning. While camping […]
It’s good, because it means every last disaster victim has had their housing needs addressed – Red Cross shelters only close when they are no longer needed. As the shelter winds down, Red Cross workers pack supplies into trucks and make house calls, bringing casework services and checking on people during this transitional period. Other […]
Story by Kate Walters – Local lemonade sales help fund La Veta Fire Department’s fire truck repairs. Red Cross volunteers happily support the cause. There’s a lemonade and popsicle stand on Grand St. in La Veta. Yesterday they received over $200 in donations which they promptly carried directly over to the new fire station and gave […]
July 11, 2018 Story by David Owens At a dusty, ash-covered crossroads on the western slope of Colorado’s Sangre de Cristo Mountains, half an hour’s drive from the nearest paved road, American Red Cross volunteers set up a supply distribution point to aid people as they return to their fire-ravaged homes. Residents only have a few hours […]
July 11, 2018 Story by David Owens Often, disaster relief work is hectic and crowded, but sometimes there are long, lonely, dusty periods. Volunteer Steve Harris of the Alamosa Red Cross keeps this supply distribution point open, giving shovels, sifters and other relief supplies to residents as they trickle back into their neighborhoods. As several […]
July 10, 2018 12 PM Article by Beth Bernhardt A disaster of any size will cause unusual stress in people who have been directly or indirectly impacted by it. Each person will react differently, and a range of responses to a disaster are normal and to be expected. Emotional responses to disasters can appear immediately, or sometimes […]
July 9, 2018 2 PM: Submitted by Beth Bernhardt Children can feel very frightened during a disaster and afterwards some will show temporary changes in behavior. For most children these changes will be mild, not last long, and diminish with time. Young children may return to bed-wetting, have difficulty sleeping, and not want to be […]
July 8, 2018 Article submitted by Rick Padden For Red Cross volunteer Rochelle Obechina, disaster relief is far more than providing a roof, bottled water, cots, blankets, and scrambled eggs. According to her, there are basic human needs, and then there is the need for humanity. “We may be displaced, but community hasn’t gone away,” she said. […]
July 8, 2018 Story submitted by Amanda Fry When Red Cross nurse volunteers Marian Heesaker and Ed Duball first arrived at the Red Cross Shelter in Basalt, Colorado, it was their first experience serving as volunteers for the organization. The shelter was established by the Red Cross to provide support for residents affected by the Lake […]