How You Can Help the Fire Victims

Serving Special Needs Population are several organizations, all of whom accept financial support through their websites:

* Undocumented Immigrants who are ineligible for FEMA funds, can be helped by https://www.ciyja.org/caliimmfirefunds

* Fire Fund for People with Disabilities aka the Richard Devylder Disaster Relief Fund distributes assistive devices to those who have lost theirs: wheelchairs, scooters, canes, walkers,
hearing aids and other communication devices.

https://cfilc.org/donate/?recipient=Richard+Devylder+Disaster+Relief+Fund

* North Bay IWW Fire Relief Fund contacts homeless people directly and delivers what they need from donations received at evacuation centers.

https://www.generosity.com/emergencies-fundraising/northbay-iww-fire-relief-fund

* Animal Rescue: In Defense of Animals rescues and supports animals displaced by the fires https://www.idausa.org/

A list of East Bay Restaurants, Bars and Food Businesses collecting donations, raising money or sending supplies to people who have been affected:
http://www.berkeleyside.com/2017/10/10/east-bay-food-businesses-helping-affected-north-bay-fires/

Bay Marin Community Church 160 N San Pedro, San Rafael,  posts an ongoing list of food, clothing, and other types of needs; they also have a fire relief fund:
http://baymarin.org/wildfire-update/

Epworth Methodist Church in Berkeley is accepting financial donations  https://epworthberkeley.org

Redwood Credit Union targets relief funds to Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino and Lake Counties: https://www.redwoodcu.org/northbayfirerelief
So far has raised over $2.7 million

United Way of the Wine Country 
https://uwwc.upicsolutions.org/ecommunity/comm/SinglePageRegPledge.jsp

Red Cross always a good bet http://redcross.org

Many thanks for all you do for the ones who need it most. It's heartbreaking and will take years to get back to some semblance of normal for many of these victims.

Fires Destroying Large Sections of my State Not Far from Us

The fires now burning massive acreage just north of here are incredibly destructive and even more frightening.  

We can see and smell the smoke and even the fifteen month old was amazed at the sun yesterday as it burnt an orange hole in the hazy morning sky. He's never been able to look directly at the sun like that and he was astounded, pointing and yelling "Ahh, Ahh, Ooooh".

We are personally aware of two families who have had to evacuate and we don't know yet if their homes are still standing.

Donations to the Red Cross will go a long ways helping the victims. 

As of (Oct 10, 2017) tonight's late news, over 2,000 structures have been destroyed: Hilton Hotel in Santa Rosa, KMart, Kohls, Applebees, many many others.... 

Over 115,000 acres have already burned with virtually no containment anywhere yet.

Bubbling Well Pet Memorial Park in Napa smolders, broken gas lines flaring, the only recognizable pieces its gate and chimney. 

There will be thousands of stories like these as wineries, vineyards, homes, barns, restaurants, retail outlets, service stations, shopping malls, housing developments and hotels are all completely decimated. 

It looks like an apocalypse on our big tv screens.

Give generously please. Red Cross

UPDATE: Thursday Oct 12th midnight.

200,000 acres burned. Calistoga mandatory evacuation of ALL residents. 500 people still unaccounted for and over 100 injured with nearly 40 deaths verified.