AHAH Monthly Program Update - California Wildfires (October 2021)

CALIFORNIA WILDFIRE RELIEF UPDATE OCTOBER 2021

TOTAL PROGRAM IMPACT

11

FUEL BREAK ACRES CLEARED

8,023

VOLUNTEER HOURS

60 534

VOLUNTEERS HAZARD TREES FELLED

Current Activities Since launching the recovery element of the California Wildfire Relief Program this summer, in partnership with Hope Crisis Response Network (HCRN) and Habitat for Humanity, we have been working towards our goal of completing nine home rebuilds in Paradise and nearby Magalia by the end of December. Our volunteers are at work installing siding, windows, flooring, doors, trim and cabinetry; painting and completing finish work to bring comfort and security back to those who lost their homes in the 2018 Camp Fire.

Wildfire season continues to pose risk through the dry autumn months. Our teams are preparing to resume the mitigation activities and sawyer training this coming December, when we can safely and responsibly operate chainsaws and other machinery to create fuel breaks and remove hazard trees for protection against future wildfires.

Community Spotlight Stephen M., a local man in his mid-30s, is considered to be a Hometown Hero around Paradise. When the fire ripped through the area, he helped to rescue over 35 people along his street. While Stephen was able to save his neighbors, his own home was not spared from the fire. He and his wife, along with their 4 month old baby and two other children ages 2 and 4, have been living in a garage since the fires.

Our volunteers and staff helped complete a new home for this family.

We installed siding and completed interior finishing on their newly built home. Beyond the new place to call home, volunteers built an amazing kids play structure, which was donated to the family.

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Photos: (top) Our team and community members in front of their house, (bottom) Staff and volunteers working on a home.

Disaster Profile The wildfire season in California has increased in size eightfold since the 1970s, and the annual burned area has grown by nearly 500%. The climate crisis is considered one of the key drivers of this trend, with high temperatures and droughts causing dry vegetation and dead trees, which are more susceptible to severe wildfires. One of the deadliest and most damaging wildfires in California’s history was the 2018 Camp Fire, which incinerated the town of Paradise and swaths of surrounding foothill communities in a single day. Driven by winds, this wildfire continued to rage for two weeks and spread further into Butte County. Three years after the Camp Fire, only about 400 of the 14,000 homes destroyed have been rebuilt, and the community remains at risk from future wildfire destruction.

Our Work All Hands and Hearts launched a wildfire program in Paradise in February 2021. Alongside local partners, our focus through July was on wildfire mitigation projects, such as creating fuel breaks by felling and removing trees for protection against future wildfires, and hazard tree removal on private properties to help homeowners prepare for rebuilding. A core component was our sawyer training curriculum, which has helped to build capacity in our organization by improving skill, safety and efficiency in chainsaw operations.

From August through December 2021, we are working alongside local partners to rebuild homes destroyed by the 2018 Camp Fire.

We plan to resume mitigation activities by January 2022, with the goal of continuing to run this critical program year-round.

Photos: (top) Volunteer mudding drywall, (bottom) Volunteers say hello!

About All Hands and Hearts We effectively and efficiently address the immediate and long-term needs of communities impacted by natural disasters.

We communicate directly with local leaders and community members and then deploy our unique model of engaging volunteers to enable direct impact, helping to build safer, more resilient schools, homes and infrastructure.

Our Partners

We have earned a 4-star rating by Charity Navigator for the seventh year in a row. This year only seven percent of rated nonprofits received this distinction for financial and operational efficiency.

info@allhandsandhearts.org