Demand for Red Cross help skyrockets in WI; 1K+ displaced by fires
Demand for Red Cross help skyrockets in Wisconsin; 1K+ displaced by fires
In the first two months of 2021, the Red Cross of Wisconsin has assisted more than 1,000 people displaced by fires.
MILWAUKEE - In the first two months of 2021, Red Cross of Wisconsin has assisted more than 1,000 people displaced by fires. That is roughly a quarter of what they expect to handle in a year -- in just 60 days.
"We felt it was pretty busy. But in crunching the numbers, we’re talking about more than 1,000 people who have been displaced from their homes, from fires, all around the state," said Justin Kern of American Red Cross Wisconsin.
Justin Kern
It may not sound like a lot, but when it is put into context...
"At one point into early February, the Red Cross here in Wisconsin was number two in terms of sheltering needs," Kern said. "We were only eclipsed by Louisiana where they were still dealing with hundreds of people displaced from both the hurricanes and the ice storms and the weather they were dealing with there."
It took two hurricanes and a polar vortex to keep Wisconsin out of the number one spot for sheltering needs in the country, according to the Red Cross.
"Last year, we served 4,100 people on the nose through disasters around the whole state. And we, in eight weeks, served more than one-quarter of that amount," Kern said.
Red Cross staff say they responded to roughly 190 fires this winter, which is average for the season. But the number of people displaced by each fire was not.
"It’s just the number of people in each fire was just really astronomical," Kern said. "We actually called in reinforcements. We had folks deployed here virtually, or in-person, from New York, from Pennsylvania, from Indiana to help."
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As things warm up, the Red Cross expects things to slow down -- giving staff and volunteers time to rest and recoup.
"We are in a good spot, but if people want to join us as volunteers – we’re definitely looking for some reinforcements," Kern said.
Learn more about how you can assist the Red Cross or become a volunteer.
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