By Mariama Fofana, American Red Cross of Colorado and Wyoming Public Affairs Volunteer
The fast-moving Marshall Fire is the latest example of an extreme weather event prompting thousands of people to flee their homes and seek support from the American Red Cross — this time months after the regular wildfire season ended. Since shelters opened on December 30, 2021, the Red Cross and partners have provided nearly 350 overnight stays to people who had to evacuate.
In addition to providing shelters, Red Cross volunteers have provided wildfire kits, mental health counseling and, at times, simply a listening ear or a joyous moment in difficult times.
“We’re not only there to give out supplies but we’re also there to listen and hear their story of how they evacuated, lost pets or recovered pets and just to be there in their time of need,” said George McCrory, a volunteer from the Nebraska-Iowa Region of the Red Cross. “For example, one of the mental health workers gave a woman a little Mickey Mouse. We think those are just for kids. But they’re comforting for adults as well and I think that was helpful.”
McCrory deployed to Colorado from Iowa on January 2nd to help with the Marshall fire response. He became part of his region’s Disaster Action Team (DAT), a group of trained volunteers who respond to local disasters like home fires, in 2006. McCrory volunteered with the Red Cross’s public affairs department in 2005 for about five years.
“After the Missouri river flooding, I really got to see how the local volunteers at the shelter really took care of the clients,” McCrory said. “I felt like I could really add more with contact with the clients to help them with their recovery.”
Since re-joining the Red Cross in 2019, he has deployed on four disaster response operations, including the Marshall fire.
The Red Cross has worked very closely with the entire response community — government agencies, community groups and others — to coordinate emergency relief and recovery efforts for those impacted by the fire. Red Cross volunteers built wildfire kits at an Amazon Distribution Center and dispersed them to families affected by the Marshall fire through a partnership with Amazon. Part of McCrory’s daily task was to distribute those kits and cleaning supplies.
“We would go out to either the disaster assistance center and hand out supplies to people who have been through casework,” McCrory explained. “We’d also be assigned a route. And that was more about going to affected areas and looking for people that may be surveying the damage to their homes and giving them the cleaning supplies.”
More than 80 trained Red Cross disaster workers, some of whom have had to evacuate their own homes, helped people find a safe place to stay and emotional support during this challenging time.
“I really enjoyed the comradery with the other Red Cross volunteers on my team,” McCrory said. “Very few people on the team had distributed supplies before. Most were coming over from sheltering. But all the people that came over were willing to learn and always willing to roll up their sleeves and go all in.”
While the exact cause of the blaze is unknown, experts report climate change played a key role. Every day, the Red Cross sees the heartbreak of families and communities trying to cope with the effects of climate change. The Red Cross is committed to doing its part to reduce the humanitarian impacts of climate change as part of our mission to alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies.
You can help people affected by disasters like fires and countless other crises by making a gift to Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift is a commitment to helping people in need and every donation matters. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. Visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS, or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.