Hurricane Katrina's Disaster Relief!

Well folks, this has been a very busy month for the Disaster Action Teams throughout Fresno County. We've averaged 25 disasters in the month of January and have assisted 35 families that were displaced by disaster. This is a heart breaking way to start out the year. 
Our call break down for the month is as follows...
Number of Structures Affected:
Single Family Fires- 14
Multi Housing Fires- 4
Mobile Home Fires- 3
Gas Leaks- 6
Flooding- 5
Miscellaneous- 3

As for February, it is starting slow and we are hoping it will stay that way! As the days start to grow longer and the sun is fighting to peak through and warm our homes, we can hopefully start to put away though pesky portable heaters. 

But until the sun does decide to completely warm the Valley floor again, and if you are still using your portable heaters, here is a small reminder of what can happen to your home, if they are left unattended. ..


This was a home for two families and one family member fell asleep and the portable heater she was using caught fire. By the looks of the photos you will see that both families were extremely lucky to get out alive. 

The fire started in the bedroom around 6:45am and swept through the entire house within minutes. Consuming everything in its path, not a room was left untouched by its fury. The Fire Battalion Chief stated that all of the right ingredients were in this house to make this a perfect fire storm, and that is what caused every room in the house to go up the way it did. Even though the families made it out safely some of their pets did not. One mother cat and her four kittens, and the family dog died. The family was not only devastated by the loss of their material items, but also by loss of their dear pets as well.

Please remember that these are the innocent victims that cannot yell for help and rely on their owners to be responsible in making sure that if you have to get out in a hurry they can be rescued. They are just as scared as you but it is in their nature to hide in these situations. Make sure you know where they like to hide. Most pets will go to a place they are familiar with so make sure you are aware of where those places may be in the house. Don’t linger looking for your pet just make a quick search, and get out of the house. Let the Fire Crews know you have pets, so they can look for them as they are putting out the fire.

Please make sure you have an emergency plan for your pets as well as yourself. They are part of the family too!


-Katrina