As the fallout from wildfires in and around Los Angeles continues, Massachusetts residents are on the ground lending a hand.
The American Red Cross of Massachusetts says they’ve sent five volunteers to assist victims who’ve been forced into shelters.
“They’re going to be supplying food, water, comfort and just helping them deal with what’s going on in this tragic situation,” said spokesperson Jeff Hall.
Hall said the volunteers signed up to help for at least two full weeks, and will be putting in long shifts of up to 18 hours a day.
“They know they’ll have a place to sleep and food to eat, but probably not much more than that,” he said.
As Massachusetts residents help out in the Los Angeles area, native Californians with ties to the Bay State have found themselves in difficult positions.
Tufts University student Kylie McNulty is spending her winter break at home in Malibu, where her home has lost power. The fires and overwhelming emergency response have also caused her neighborhood to lose cell service.
“Each time I come down here [to California], a new friend has lost their house, an old favorite restaurant has burned down,” she said. “It’s terrible.”
And McNulty said the unfolding disaster has made it hard to mentally prepare for the coming semester.
“I feel like it’s impossible to focus,” she said. “It’s mostly just kind of sitting [here] worrying and listening to our little radio.”
As the fires continue to burn, Hall said a long recovery looms.
“You’ve seen the pictures. This is going to be a long-term response that spans months,” said Hall. “I’m absolutely sure we’ll be asked to send more people and I know we’ll have people that raise their hands to go out and assist.”
Jewel Kyaw and Jeff Keating contributed to this story.
