MDS responds to California Wildfires

BY: SCOTT SUNDBERG AND ANDI DUBE

MDS is gearing up for a local response to a series of wildfires which began burning in Southern California on October 20, 2008.

Although numbers keep rising, there are estimates that at least 1,500 homes have been destroyed, and over 270,000 acres of land have burned so far. Over one million people have been evacuated from their homes.

With several of the affected counties in a state of emergency, military assets are being used to fight and control the fires. Government officials are reporting that winds have died down and several of the fires are now under control.

MDS Region Four (which includes California) is in the initial stages of planning a disaster investigation which will be followed by a response. A team of regional MDS representatives will begin touring affected areas in San Diego County on Monday to assess damage and determine what MDS’s response will be.

Further north, MDS volunteer Duane Steiner is monitoring fires in Green Valley near Lake Arrowhead.

MDS expects to be involved with sending cleanup teams to affected areas as soon as the fires are completely contained and counties begin letting evacuees return to their homes. Once that happens, local MDS volunteers will start helping with cleanup.

MDS Region four representatives are in contact with local government officials to pursue ways that MDS can appropriately respond to these fires to provide assistance to those affected.

Julian, California, a community where MDS responded in the Cedar Fires of 2003, has had mandatory evacuation due to no electricity and water. MDS had an operational project in that community from 2003- 2005. Volunteers rebuilt several fire-damaged homes in Julian.