NEWS RELEASE
AMERICAN RED CROSS OF MILE HIGH
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Residents of Colorado are facing an above-normal wildfire season as the climate crisis threatens to upend more communities. The best defense during an emergency is to be prepared and the American Red Cross of Mile High advises everyone to get ready now.
The Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control forecasts normal fire potential from now until July, but southeast Colorado may see elevated conditions during the spring due to drought conditions.
“Today, the Red Cross is responding to more large disasters — almost twice as many — than we did a decade ago,” said Gino Greco, Chief Executive Officer, American Red Cross of Colorado and Wyoming. “This growing need for help means we need more volunteers trained and ready to support families facing their darkest moments. Plus, it’s critical for Colorado residents to make an emergency plan now.”
The number of billion-dollar disasters in the U.S. has increased 85% in just the last decade as disasters grow in frequency and intensity. People across the country are feeling the impact as an estimated 2.5 million were forced from their homes by weather-related disasters in 2023 — with more than a third displaced for longer than a month.
Comprising 90% of the Red Cross workforce, volunteers are continuously providing shelter, comfort, hot meals, health services and recovery support to families in need across the country. Just in 2023, more than 170 local Red Cross volunteers deployed to disasters across the country to places like Hawaii, Washington and California who saw catastrophic wildfires.
VOLUNTEER TODAY The Red Cross is seeking new volunteers who are team-oriented and want to make an immediate difference. Visit redcross.org/volunteertoday to sign up. Free online training will be provided, and there is a critical need for these positions:
- Local Disaster Action Team volunteers help families in need by providing food, lodging, comfort, recovery assistance and other support.
- Shelter Services volunteers support the day-to-day activities in an emergency shelter for those forced from their homes by disasters.
As a Disaster Health or Mental Health Services volunteer, you can use your professional skills as a licensed healthcare provider to deliver hands-on care to people in shelters.
HOW TO PREPARE YOUR HOUSEHOLD With the increasing risk of climate-driven disasters, help keep your family safe by getting prepared today.
- Build an emergency kit with bottled water, non-perishable food, a flashlight and battery-powered radio. Also include medications, copies of important papers, cell phone chargers and emergency contact information.
- Make an evacuation plan with what to do in case you are separated from your family during an emergency and if you must evacuate. Make sure to coordinate with your child’s school, your work and your community’s emergency plans — and don’t forget your pets.
- Know how to stay informed by finding out how local officials will contact you during a disaster and how you will get important information, such as evacuation orders.
Plus, download the free Red Cross First Aid app so you’ll know what to do if emergency help is delayed and the free Emergency app for weather alerts, open Red Cross shelter locations and more safety tips. Choose whether you want to view the content in English or Spanish with an easy-to-find language selector. Find these and all the Red Cross apps in smartphone app stores by searching for the American Red Cross or going to redcross.org/apps.
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