Business Loan

TRAGICALLY. THAT WAS LOLITA LOPEZ REPORTING. WE KNOW MANY VOLUNTEERS FROM THE AMERICAN RED CROSS ARE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA RIGHT NOW, HELPING THOSE FIRE VICTIMS. THERES SO MANY OF THEM, TOO. LETS TALK WITH SOMEBODY WHO KNOWS FIRSTHAND HOW THIS IS ALL PLAYING OUT RIGHT NOW. ADAM MAESTAS WITH THE AMERICAN RED CROSS, GOLD COUNTRY REGION. ADAM, THANKS FOR BEING WITH US. HOW DO YOU EVEN BEGIN TO. I MEAN, SOMEONE SOMEONE WHOS JUST HAD THEIR LIFE FLIPPED UPSIDE DOWN AND EVERYTHINGS GONE. WHERE DO YOU START? ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY? YEAH, THATS A LONG ROAD TO RECOVERY FOR JUST THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA RIGHT NOW. OUR IMMEDIATE CONCERNS, OF COURSE, IS JUST SHELTERING AND FOOD AND KEEPING THESE PEOPLE SAFE. YOU KNOW, AS THESE FIRES CONTINUE TO BURN AND CONDITIONS CONTINUE TO GET WORSE THROUGHOUT THE WEEK. BUT RIGHT NOW, WE ARE FOCUSED ON SHELTERING AND HELPING THESE PEOPLE NAVIGATE THAT REBUILDING PROCESS. RIGHT. ITS JUST JUST NAVIGATING, YOU KNOW, BUREAUCRACY AND THE PROCESS OF WHERE TO APPLY FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE, WHO MIGHT GET A GRANT. HOW DO I REPLACE THIS, THAT OR THE OTHER. SO ITS A VERY LONG ROAD TO RECOVERY. BUT OUR WORKERS ARE IN SHELTERS ACROSS EIGHT SHELTERS, HELPING ABOUT 8900 PEOPLE RIGHT NOW. WITH THAT PROCESS. ADAM, WHAT ARE THE LONG TERM NEEDS WHEN IT COMES TO THE RECOVERY PROCESS RIGHT NOW? LIKE I SAID, JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING IS TAKEN CARE OF ON THE GROUND FOR THE IMMEDIATE NEEDS. BUT THESE LONG TERM NEEDS ARE JUST GOING TO BE GETTING THESE PEOPLE ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY AND INTO THE NEXT THING, THE NEXT STEP IN THEIR LIVES, WHATEVER THAT LOOKS LIKE. TO FACILITATE THAT, THE RED CROSS ALWAYS PLAYS A PART. WE CAN PLAY A PART WITH HELPING PEOPLE NAVIGATE THAT PROCESS, AS WELL AS FINANCIAL INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE GRANTS THAT GO OUT TO PEOPLE THAT ARE IN THAT FIRE PERIMETER THAT WEVE PRE-IDENTIFIED, AND IF THEY QUALIFY, THEY CAN GET A CHECK, YOU KNOW, USUALLY RIGHT AWAY. SO THAT PROCESS IS STARTING THIS WEEK. AND AGAIN, THE TWO DRIVERS THAT MAKE THE RED CROSS SO EFFECTIVE AND MOBILIZING QUICKLY IN RESPONDING TO DISASTERS LIKE THESE ARE VOLUNTEERS, RIGHT. AND CASH DONATIONS. SO ITS ALWAYS A GOOD TIME TO PICK UP THE PHONE OR GO TO RED CROSS.ORG AND START EITHER OF THOSE JOURNEYS. RIGHT. WE SUBSIST ALMOST ENTIRELY ON PEOPLE AND DONATIONS FROM EVERYDAY PEOPLE LIKE YOU AND I. ALL RIGHT, ADAM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME