As of this writing, the Caldor Fire has burned more than 200,000 acres and destroyed nearly 800 structures. There have been numerous flare ups and giant funnels of smoke pouring in from the forested hillsides. The area is well known to many as a place of refuge from their daily lives, it has quickly turned into a place people are seeking refuge away from.

Many families and individuals have been forced to leave their homes at a moment notice, some never even having time to stop home to gather their belongings.

Yasmin Mesfin is one of those evacuees. She is now staying alone in the Reno-Sparks Convention Center, one of the locations we will be supporting as they are currently sheltering evacuees from the Caldor fire. The only things she had time to pack were important identification documents, family photos, a few outfits — and a picture of her son, Daniel Haile, a U.S. Army captain. She has not seen him in seven years. She fled her home for Reno alone.

“I have no family here,” she shares, crying. 

Chelsea Cunningham was also forced to flee her home of South Lake Tahoe to go quickly to Northern Nevada on Monday, August 30. She was still in shock while holed up at the Carson City Community Center. "Right now, we're numb. It feels like you're in this fog and your headlights aren't working. I think we're still in shock, I think the reality will hit later — especially if we go back and find out there's nothing left. The only keeping us going is focusing on what to do next."

Simply the Basics’ Disaster Relief Programming responds to such disasters by providing the basics that people often must leave behind. We work with evacuation centers and shelters to ensure that care is provided, included but not limited to infant care, underwear, hygiene supplies, bedding, towels, PPE, first aid, and cleaning supplies. Uniquely from other services, we have also hosted Public Hygiene Markets so that people can select the items that they most need. We also provide supplies needed to the facilities so that they can safely and hygienically shelter people at sites not commonly used for overnight stays.

Simply the Basics will continue providing supplies until well after the fires have stopped. Often the need for support follows a natural disaster for not weeks, but months of even years. For those people and communities, Simply the Basics will work hard to support them.

Help us in this goal by making a donation to our Disaster Relief programming!