American Red Cross assists 68 Upstate Families with December Fires

American Red Cross disaster volunteers responded to seven home fires in the Upstate this week, providing emergency assistance to the 21 people affected. These incidents were the latest in a series of fires that have recently occurred and tragically there were injuries and fatalities associated with many of these fires. It is not just the Upstate experiencing home fires. In South Carolina since Dec. 1, the Red Cross has assisted over 200 people who were affected by fires throughout the state. Red Cross has assisted and will continue assisting with temporary lodging, food, clothing, hygiene items, and health and mental health services. Red Cross is also providing referrals to partner agencies to assist the families with their long-term recovery. Because of trained disaster volunteers and financial assistance from the community, Red Cross was able to help more than 7,118 people affected by disasters in South Carolina last year. On average, the American Red Cross, Palmetto SC Region, which serves the state of South Carolina, responds to a disaster every four hours. “The Red Cross is committed to helping in these tragic times and we do so through our wonderful trained volunteers and the generous financial contributions from members of our community. We simply could not be there, day and night, for these families without our volunteers and donors,” states Ann Wright, Executive Director of the Upstate Chapter. The American Red Cross needs additional volunteers who are willing to become trained to respond to fires and other disasters in the community. For more information, including volunteer orientation dates and locations, visit www.redcross.org/UpstateSC or call 864-271-8222. To help people affected by home fires and ensure anyone who needs disaster assistance, please donate by calling American Red Cross of Upstate South Carolina at (864) 271-8222 or 1-800-RED-CROSS or visit www.redcross.org/UpstateSC.