The Orlando Red Cross has dispatched volunteers to California to help families affected by the deadly wildfires.
The team left Thursday and plans to stay for approximately two weeks, offering much-needed support to those impacted by the disaster.
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“Sometimes I put myself in their place, and that’s how I feel. It’s not a good feeling to lose your home and lose everything,” one of the volunteers said.
In addition to the Red Cross, Governor Ron DeSantis extended Florida’s support. The state’s Division of Emergency Management sent an incident management team, along with logistics support and equipment, to aid in the relief efforts.
The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department (JFRD) clarified that they are not deploying to California.
“Our prayers are with those affected by the wildfires in CA. We extend our sincere prayers to the firefighters bravely battling these fires. For those inquiring, we are not traveling to CA at this time. We cannot simply arrive; we must be invited and follow the appropriate procedures,” a JFRD spokesperson said in a statement.
Meanwhile, several Florida agencies are gathering outside Tampa Friday for a fire suppression training exercise. This initiative aims to prepare and prevent similar situations from occurring in Florida.
The Florida Forest Service began prescribed burns in December. It said this is the time to do that because of the cooler temperatures and the trees are dormant.