Local Red Cross volunteers continue helping LA wildfire victims

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Red Cross volunteers from the Pacific Northwest are continuing to help with the wildfire relief efforts on the ground in California as hundreds of Los Angeles-area residents rely on several shelters for assistance.

Last week, members of the Red Cros Cascades Region deployed 18 people to help with the efforts. The volunteers from Oregon and Southwest Washington joined others in California — about 400 Red Cross members in total — offering help with shelter, food, reunification efforts health and mental health support and providing emergency supplies.

On Monday night, the Red Cross staffed seven shelters occupied by 800 people staying in them, not including those who only dropped by during the day to get resources.

"It's chaos but it's becoming more organized chaos," said Boo Hage, a volunteer with Red Cross Cascades Region. "It's a hubbub of every — every type of humanity you could possibly think of and just trying to find their way back into whatever place that they came from."

Hage said this isn't her first rodeo as she's been called to several natural disasters during her four-year tenure with the Red Cross. The retired E.R. worker said "It's a constant buzz, nearly 24-hours a day, getting this up ad running and working — working really well."

Hage said she and her team have been in Southern California for five days. In that time, they've seen the people who've been impacted by the wildfires firsthand.

"Some people you would look at and they're just sitting in their space on their cots and just staring. They're just looking. And we have people [Red Cross volunteers] that go every couple hours — cot to cot to cot — to check up on them, to see how they're doing," Hage said. "But it's going to be a very long road and a very hard recovery for a lot of people and it's just what it is with these disasters."

The volunteers tend to lean on the camaraderie of others while working through tragic events like these, Hage said.

"It's a comradery that's just different than anything. I mean, you just work together, you have a common goal," she said.

Hage said she doesn't know how long she and her team will be in L.A. But she doesn't plan on giving up on helping people who need it most anytime soon.

"We'll do what we need to do until we can get to a point and bow out," Hage said.

Wildfires are continuing to burn in Southern California and may continue in the coming days with forecasted high winds.

Red Cross officials said the wildfires and poor air quality have affected blood drives, with many being canceled in California as a result. However, people can help with the need for lifesaving blood donations by using the Red Cross Donor App, visiting their blood donation website or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Find out more about how to volunteer with the Red Cross Cascades Region on their website.