New Aid to Help Colorado Wildfire Survivors

A new shipment of emergency medical aid is underway to help families who have fled their homes as Colorado wildfires still roar out of control in some areas. The latest shipment, sent in response to an urgent request from a partner clinic, includes respiratory medicines to treat patients with chronic conditions who are exposed to smoke inhalation. The delivery is part of a series of emergency shipments to help displaced families and first responders in fire-ravaged communities:

• Respiratory medications, first aid supplies and relief items: including nutritional supplements and personal care items were sent on July 3 to a partner clinic near Colorado Springs, where more than 35,000 people have fled the growing Waldo Canyon blaze.
• Relief supplies for 250 families in shelters: In Colorado Springs, a shipment of personal care items, soap, shampoo and toothbrushes arrived on July 2 at an emergency evacuation center at Colorado College.
• 3,000 respirators and protective masks for firefighters and residents battling the High Park Fire near Fort Collins – one of the largest wildfires in the state’s history. The shipment of respirators, along with protective masks for residents arrived on June 27 to a Denver-based partner organization.
• A truckload of bottled water: 32,000 bottles of water was delivered to our Denver-based partner who distributed the water and relief supplies through an emergency donation center at the Foothills Mall in Fort Collins.
• Personal care items for displaced families. Three hundred hygiene kits and assorted cleaning supplies are scheduled to arrive on July 3, to be distributed to displaced families at the Foothills Mall in Fort Collins.

Our latest shipment being assembled and shipped out.Fanned by strong winds, the Waldo Canyon fire still rages today, engulfing countless homes and prompting more evacuations.“Shelters near Colorado Springs are bracing for an influx of evacuees,” explained Emergency Response Director, Garrett Ingoglia. “The fire could continue to burn for weeks, so we are making sure families have all the basic necessities while they are displaced.”Since 1982, AmeriCares has delivered medical relief and humanitarian assistance to millions affected by natural and man-made disasters around the world and here in the United States. In 2011, in response to one of the worst U.S. tornado seasons in decades, we delivered nearly $3 million in aid for survivors, including $600,000 in disaster recovery grants to help more than 62,000 people recover and prepare for future emergencies.Read MoreDonate Now