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The swift and destructive Eaton fire destroyed much more in Angela’s life than her family’s rental home: Without an address, her daughters couldn’t register for school; without childcare, Angela couldn’t work her cleaning jobs. Leaving the girls isn’t an option: Her older daughter has epilepsy and can’t be left alone. Living in a shelter, with only her husband’s income, it seemed all Angela had left was worry.
To help Angela and more than over 5,500 low-income survivors of the wildfires, Americares provided $1 million in direct cash assistance. The assistance allowed survivors to make personal choices at a time when options were few, especially for families like Angela’s, living in shelters.
Americares comprehensive response to the wildfires also included 5.7 tons of medicine and relief supplies, more than 14,000 N95 masks, $455,000 in emergency funding and five truckloads of water.
The cash assistance eased survivors’ anxiety. “It was truly a lifeline thrown to people drowning in a sea of frustration,” says Ed Gerber, executive director of Lestonnac Free Clinic in Orange, Ca., Americares local partner managing the distributions.
“It was truly a lifeline thrown to people drowning in a sea of frustration.”
Ed Gerber, executive director of Lestonnac Free Clinic, Orange, Ca.