Episcopal Relief & Development provides ongoing response to the California wildfires

Episcopal Relief & Development
Posted Nov 19, 2018

Episcopal Relief & Development is partnering with the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California to provide emergency support for those impacted by deadly wildfires in California. The assistance includes food, gasoline, masks and other critical supplies, as well as emergency housing and the storage of belongings.

Wildfires broke out earlier this month in both Northern and Southern California, scorching over 248,000 acres, destroying almost 14,000 structures and killing 80 people to date, a number which is expected to rise. Over 900 people remain missing as of Monday morning. Virtually the entire town of Paradise, CA was destroyed by the Camp Fire, leaving thousands without homes to return to. Air quality remains poor in northern California, but has improved somewhat over the weekend.

The Episcopal Diocese of Northern California has established a core disaster response team in Chico, CA, west of Paradise, to assess and respond to emergency needs of people who have been impacted by the fires. The diocese is working to provide emergency housing and shelter, food, masks, gasoline, and other basic supplies to those in need. The team is also arranging for storage of recovered belongings in short-term storage units.

“The diocesan leaders have worked to create relationships that allowed them to take action swiftly in this crisis,” said Lura Steele, Program Officer, Resilience, US Disaster Programs at Episcopal Relief & Development. “Our partners will continue to assess and respond to the needs of people impacted by the fires in the weeks to come.”

Please continue to pray for the individuals and families affected by the California wildfires as well as the firefighters and first-responders. Donations to the US Disaster Fund will help those affected by the devastating wildfires.


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