AHAH Monthly Program Update - California Wildfires (June 2021)

CALIFORNIA WILDFIRE RELIEF UPDATE JUNE 2021

TOTAL PROGRAM IMPACT

7 3,786 20 431

ACRES CLEARED

VOLUNTEER HOURS

VOLUNTEER TRAINEES

Current Activities Our first cohort of DM12 volunteers is finishing their 8 week service commitment in early June, having successfully completed their sawyer training and contributed many hours to our mitigation project. In addition to clearing over 7 acres for the fuel break, we have created defensible space and removed hazard trees on 12 private properties! Our second cohort of volunteers will arrive in late June.

HAZARD TREES FELLED

We’re excited to announce that the recovery element of this program is now also underway. In partnership with Hope Crisis Response Network, the team is working on its first home rebuild and is starting with trimming and painting this week, following the successful installation of drywall and texturing.

Partner Spotlight "All Hands and Hearts has been a great partner in Paradise as we collectively look to help people keep fire safe. They have a great staff and volunteers who do great work in the community, dropping dead trees that are still a danger 2.5 years after the Camp Fire destroyed our town. Paradise Alliance Church has been able to expand into other communities locally affected by fire dropping trees since we know that Paradise is in the caring and capable hands of AHAH!" - Steve Bolin, Director of Disaster Relief, Paradise Alliance Church.

Photos: (top) the team learning how to create a burn pile, (left) a clean felled tree.

Learn about our programs at

allhandsandhearts.org

Disaster Profile In California, where wildfire season (historically May through October) is a natural part of the landscape, the season has started earlier and finished later in recent years. The wildfires have 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.

More than two 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 pilot wildfire program in Paradise in February 2021. Alongside local partners, our focus is on wildfire mitigation projects, such as creating fuel breaks by felling and removing trees for protection against future wildfires, and recovery activities, such as hazardous tree removal on private properties to help homeowners prepare for rebuilding. A core component of this program is our sawyer training curriculum, which is helping to build capacity in our organization by improving skill, safety and efficiency in chainsaw operations. We plan to expand our work in California to include interior home repair.

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.

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

Photos: (top) volunteers watching a chainsaw demonstration from staff, (bottom) a successfully felled tree.

Our Partners

info@allhandsandhearts.org