Disaster Response United States Project #30071

West Coast Wildfire Relief: Helping Children

by Jake's Network of Hope

Project Report | Feb 5, 2021
Recovery Still Underway from September Wildfires

By Lyssa Schmidt | Communications Director

When their house went up in flames, their youngest was just 2 months of old. While some structures on their property were lost, the home building is salvagable - but getting there is another story.

Without help from FEMA, the mother tells Fox12 news she needed to work with her insurance. While the family of 5 took to living in an RV, she started making phone calls.

"Our estimates were even from other contractors to fix the house was coming in at about 60K," she told Fox12. "With cleaning, about $70,000 and insurance initially offered us $4,000."

It took about 3 months befpre they were able to work things out with the insurance company, and work on getting back in their home.

In the area, cleanup efforts are still underway. Officials have started tree cleaing efforts in Oregon to remove dead and damaged trees as part of the Oregon Wildfire Recovery Debris Management Task Force effort to provide cleanup in the eight affected counties, according to local news. This work prepares the area for redevelopment and revitalization.

To date, we've sent 716 cloth diaper changes to serve 30 babies affected by these fires; these items have a retail value of $10,377.25. Cloth Diaper kits are distributed through our Network of Hope partner, Salem Cloth Project.

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Oct 11, 2020
Wildfires Cause Air, Water Concerns

By Lyssa Schmidt | Communications Director

WEST COAST WILDFIRES: This is the first of a 3-part report highlighting the wildfire devastation in the Salem, OR, area. You can read the full blog here.

Wildfiresin the Salem, OR, destroyed many parks and campgrounds, a concern as the risk for erosion causing landslides could impact the water quality locally.

“The North Santiam Canyon, where the fires burned, is also the source of the City of Salem's drinking water,” Kaileigh said. “The City of Salem has advanced technology to protect our drinking water, but there, it is something that is being very closely monitored.”

The areas surrounding the wildfires, including Salem and Portland, experienced extremely hazardous air quality for two weeks, Kaileigh said. The Air Quality Index was between 500-600, when healthy is considered to be 0-60. Many businesses closed for multiple days for health and safety reasons; on top of closures related to COVID, these situations have been very hard hitting for local small businesses.

“During the time of fires when the air quality was at its worst, our unsheltered neighbors were also impacted,” Kaileigh said. “In Salem, there are thousands of unsheltered individuals, some of the most vulnerable of our population, that were stuck outdoors without protection from the hazardous air quality. Salem Cloth Project worked with a grassroots group called Free Fridge Salem to help collect and distribute masks and food to our unsheltered communities. But it was clear that these individuals were hit hard.”

Though the impact of these wildfires is far from over, and the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread like wildfire - Kaileigh said she feels inspired by the community that has surrounded those in need locally.

“While the results of these fires have been truly devastating, it is also really inspiring to watch people and agencies in the community coming together,” she said. “There is so much collaboration, overwhelming donations, and so much support out there. It is very touching and what I hope will be a shift in culture for our community. Almost every small business in town, despite their own hardships, have provided donations, space or support in some way.”

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Oct 11, 2020
STORY: 'I could tell how scared the kids were'

By Lyssa Schmidt | Communications Director

WEST COAST WILDFIRES: This is the first of a 3-part report highlighting the wildfire devastation in the Salem, OR, area. You can read the full blog here.

Stephanie, a board member for the Salem Cloth Project, worked in the Emergency Operations Center during the fires. Here’s her recount of the experience:

"On Labor Day, I had my sister and her family over for a BBQ. As the day wore on, the sky gradually filled with smoke. I was confused as to what it was, but honestly didn't think much of it.

“When I woke up for work on Tuesday morning, I read about what had happened in the canyon. I saw that places that my loved ones lived had been issued evacuation orders. I read that some towns had been completely burnt to the ground. I was mortified.

“I went to work, at our county public works office, and had a really difficult time focusing on my normal job. I felt I needed to be helping or doing something. While I was working that day, my sister and her family evacuated to my house.

“When I got home, my tiny house was full of family and dogs - normally this would energize me, but I could tell how scared the kids were and the vibe was really tense. The next day was the same - tense, scary, not knowing what to expect, worried about all those who had been affected.

“By the end of the day on Wednesday, my help in the Emergency Operations Center was requested. Beginning Thursday, I worked in the EOC for over two weeks. I saw first-hand the stress, the emotions, the desire to help everyone at once combined with a lack of resources. The first few days were 13+ hour days. While they were full of sad stories and uncertainty, they were also full of hope. It's funny how an emergency really shows you what people can and are willing to do for each other. Everybody banded together and gave their all for their community. It was truly touching.”

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