American Red Cross volunteers will be in San Andreas supporting the Butte Fire survivors with comprehensive communication in face-to-face meetings at St. Andrews Catholic Church Parish Hall, San Andreas. Calaveras Recovers is a group of agencies and individuals working to rebuild homes lost in the Butte Fire, and the ongoing work will be bolstered by this event from May 21 to 24.

The American Red Cross is a partner agency in the Calaveras Recovers network. The 12 volunteers will finalize communication already started with many survivors of the Butte Fire, and will continue data collection for the entire case management system of Calaveras Recovers. This process will facilitate fulfillment of the unmet needs and other myriad needs already reported to case managers with FEMA, World Renew, the Red Cross and other groups during the long-term recovery which began just after the Butte Fire was put out seven months ago.

Local resident and Red Cross employee Debbie Calcote commented on the current phase of the long- term recovery, “Given the fact that the damage to our region was so extensive and diverse, we are glad to help swiftly and efficiently meet the large variety of needs presented in the wake of the fire.”

The current phase in the ongoing recovery from the Butte Fire included data-collection via telephone calls from Red Cross volunteers in Sacramento, which began May 11 and continued through May 14. With the help of Calaveras Recovers, generous donors, faith-based organizations, non-profits, and others, the first two homes to be rebuilt broke fresh ground in April.

Calaveras Recovers is the post-disaster recovery network for uninsured residents who lost homes in the 2015 Butte Fire. Calaveras Recovers operates under the 501(c)(3) sponsorship of the Amador Community Foundation.