The month of October 2019 brought 85 calls for Red Cross disaster assistance and we were able to help 237 people begin their recovery across the two-state region. Most of the assistance requests were for home fires totaling 82 responses. This is an increase from September when we received 49 calls for help and supported 110 people.
October 2019 also brought a resurgence of the wildfire season and out teams opened evacuation centers for the Decker Fire and Elk Fire. We also supported the Homeless Veterans Stand-down and provided clothing and personal hygiene items to hundreds of homeless veterans across the region.
More information about Red Cross service delivery in the Colorado & Wyoming Region is available on our blog at cowyredcrossblog.org.
Breakdown of the CO & WY 87 county service area:
Mile High Chapter (MHC): There were 29 calls for help and 73 people received Red Cross support. The MHC response area includes 10 counties in the Denver Metro area.
Southeastern Colorado Chapter (SeCO): There were 16 calls for help and 57 people received Red Cross support. The SeCO response area includes 16 counties.
Northern Colorado Chapter (NoCO): There were 2 calls for help with 13 people receiving Red Cross support. The NoCO response area includes 11 counties.
Western Colorado Chapter (WeCO): There were 25 calls for help with 53 people receiving Red Cross support. The WeCO response area covers 27 counties, serving all western Colorado and the San Luis Valley.
Wyoming Chapter: There were 13 calls for help with 41 people receiving Red Cross support. The Wyoming Chapter response area covers 21 counties within the state of Wyoming.
In each case, families and individuals were given financial resources for a place to stay, clothes, food and medicine as needed. If needed, health and mental health services were provided. Along with providing casework for the residents in a quick and efficient time frame, Red Cross volunteers will continue to provide support to these families going forward by doing follow up work to ensure all needs are met and the individuals have a clear path to recovery. All services provided by the American Red Cross are free.
Follow the Colorado and Wyoming Red Cross on Twitter as COWYRedCross and like our Facebook pages fb.com/RedCrossColorado and fb.com/RedCrossWyoming. We are also on Instagram as COWYRedCross and check out our blog at COWyRedCrossblog.org.