Houseless Collaborative supports Red Cross wildfire relief efforts

MCHC calls for volunteers and share resources

Mid Columbia River Gorge (August 23, 2024) - Mid-Columbia Houseless Collaborative (MCHC) partners are helping the Red Cross assist vulnerable community members throughout the Gorge during wildfire season. This is in addition to sharing resources of ongoing efforts to keep the houseless community safe throughout the year.

"Our Collaborative partners work together to provide cooling kits and shelter options for people experiencing houselessness during summer heat events," said Kelli Horvath, deputy director at Mid-Columbia Community Action Council (MCCAC).

"This year, with the opening of The Gloria Navigation Center in The Dalles, we are also able to partner with local emergency management and the Red Cross by providing space for emergency operations during wildfire season," Horvath said. The MCCAC team has also helped source volunteers for Red Cross efforts. 

Horvath says this double whammy of heat and smoke during the summer impacts stable housing conditions and is made worse as evacuation notices are posted to get people out of harm's way during fire events. With recent wildfires popping up throughout the Gorge, the Red Cross Cascades Region has been very active in the past month, setting up about ten different shelters in response to fires throughout the area, including in Maupin, Hood River, and White Salmon. 

Wherever they can, Collaborative partners step in to help. Jennifer Pauletto, executive director of Washington Gorge Action Programs (WAGAP), said sharing resources with community members is a big piece of the puzzle. 

“Keeping people aware of what is available to assist our houseless neighbors is important,” Pauletto said. “Cooling kits and N95 masks are available at WAGAP offices on the Washington side of the Gorge during regular business hours. We also have staff doing outreach throughout Skamania and Klickitat counties with vulnerable populations, and they carry the kits and masks with them as well.” 

Helping to amplify messages is also key to keeping people safe. Both MCCAC and WAGAP use their social media to assist in broadcasting alerts and resources that might help people. Some sites to help manage the heat and smoke:

https://afop.org/nhspw/ from the Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs that highlights National Heat Stress Prevention Week.

https://smokereadygorge.org/ a local site, Smoke Ready Gorge, which helps to map the summer wildfire season and offers links to smoke alerts, the Air Quality Index, workplace rules for when the air is smoky, and ways to opt into local alerts through reverse 911 systems in local counties. This site also provides tips on helping stay smoke-free in homes, making emergency plans for the family, and protecting pets and livestock among other resources.

https://www.watchduty.org/ is a free service available through the App Store or Google Play that provides alerts for up to four counties and shows fire perimeters, hot spots, red flag warnings, surface wind directions, air quality index, and access to live wildfire cameras. Paid subscriptions offer more features.

Additionally, local county emergency management teams coordinate activities to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural or man-made emergencies or disasters. Emergency management is typically led by the county and partners with cities, service districts, volunteer and social service agencies, schools, and other community organizations with emergency responsibilities. Within MCCAC and WAGAP service areas, the following are available online:

Hood River County - https://www.hoodriversheriff.com/what-we-do/emergency-management

Wasco County - https://www.co.wasco.or.us/departments/emergency_management/index.php

Sherman County - https://www.co.sherman.or.us/departments/emergency-services/

Skamania County - https://www.skamaniacounty.org/departments-offices/emergency-management

Klickitat County - https://www.klickitatcounty.org/249/Emergency-Management

“Wildfire season is also a time of crisis when community support and partnership are especially important,” added Sarah Kellems, development and partnerships director for MCCAC. “We hope to encourage people to take care of one another and extend a hand when they can.”

 For anyone interested in volunteering with the American Red Cross, an application is available at https://volunteerconnection.redcross.org/?nd=lead&h=944&p=2158485. Volunteers are also welcomed by contacting MCCAC at https://www.mccac.com/ and WAGAP at https://www.wagap.org/volunteer.