California Wildfires Impacting Older Americans Your Home

California Wildfires Affecting Older Americans

3 ways you can help those in need

Each morning we wake up to new images from Northern California that show the devastation wrought by the deadliest wildfires in the state’s history. Daylight brings us another view of to the ground. The have killed at least 41 people, many of them over 70. A couple in Napa County who were married 75 years were among the victims. In some cases, authorities have used dental records and serial numbers on hip implants to identify victims, according to CNN. As of Tuesday, nearly 100 people remain unaccounted for, more than 200,000 acres have burned, and about 6,000 structures have been destroyed.
— Receive access to exclusive information, benefits and discounts Fierce flames are not the only concern. Poor air quality forced about 140 veterans with severe respiratory problems to leave California’s largest veterans nursing home in Sonoma County last week. Also, at least 20 senior living facilities had to fully or partially evacuate. Howard Yune/Zuma Press Some veterans were loaded onto buses Oct. 10 and moved to safer areas as a wildfire move through Sonoma County. For many, we can only watch, feeling helpless, from hundreds of miles away. But there are ways you can help those impacted. A few options include:
: The group plans to use donations to address the mid- to long-term needs of Sonoma County after the devastating fires that have struck the community. The American Red Cross: Its special disaster relief fund allows you to direct your donation toward . GoFundMe: The fundraising website has set up a list of accounts they verified specifically for California Wildfire .

You May Also Like

SAFETY TIPS: Cancel You are leaving AARP.org and going to the website of our trusted provider. The provider’s terms, conditions and policies apply. Please return to AARP.org to learn more about other benefits. Your email address is now confirmed. You'll start receiving the latest news, benefits, events, and programs related to AARP's mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age. You can also by updating your account at anytime. You will be asked to register or log in. Cancel Offer Details Disclosures

Close In the next 24 hours, you will receive an email to confirm your subscription to receive emails related to AARP volunteering. Once you confirm that subscription, you will regularly receive communications related to AARP volunteering. In the meantime, please feel free to search for ways to make a difference in your community at Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again.