IsraAID to support California wildfire evacuees

The Israeli NGO will work with communities affected by the deadly fires.

IsraAID, the leading Israeli humanitarian NGO, will deploy an emergency response team to California following devastating wildfires in recent weeks. At the request of local communities, IsraAID’s team will conduct a needs assessment of the population in the affected area, promote community resilience and recovery, and distribute relief items to families currently staying in temporary accommodation after losing their homes in the fires.

Two ongoing wildfires have hit California in recent weeks, with Camp Fire burning over 149,000 acres and destroying more than 13,000 structures in Butte County, northern California, and Woolsey Fire burning more than 98,362 acres in southern California near the border of Ventura and Los Angeles counties. As of November 18th, 79 fatalities have been reported, with over 1,300 people still missing. Many local residents have been evacuated from their homes in the affected area and are living in temporary accommodation, including tent cities and shelters.

IsraAID’s team will include Israeli and US-based mental health specialists, who will work with partner organizations on-the-ground to support affected communities as they recover and promote community resilience.

The Israeli humanitarian aid organization has extensive experience responding to disasters in the United States in recent years. IsraAID currently has an emergency response team on-the-ground in Florida, helping families affected by Hurricane Michael return to their homes. In 2017, IsraAID responded to wildfires in Sonoma County, California, where IsraAID’s team distributed relief supplies and worked on strengthening community resilience and children’s wellbeing in the city of Santa Rosa.