UDRNC Wins over $11k at 100+ Women Strong Event
WE WON!!! To all those that voted for us tonight at 100+ Women Strong Inland Mendo, thank you for believing in what we do. Thank you for supporting our center and helping us keep our doors open to support our clients long term.
If you missed the event you can watch the video now on our video page. Below is the transcript of our Director Danilla Sands’ speech:
100+ WOMEN STRONG - JUNE 2, 2022 AT RIVINO WINERY (06/02/22)
Did you know that the number 1 state for wildfire risk is California? In the last 7 years there has been a substantial increase in wildfires. In fact, the top 10 costliest wildfires in the US occurred in California.
Imagine if you will, it's 2:00 a.m. and your house is on fire. The power is off, it is dark, and the rooms are starting to fill with smoke. You have 2 minutes to collect the most important things. Think about what you would collect? Time is up, you must evacuate.
Now think about the things you didn’t collect. Perhaps a baby album, wedding ring, birth certificate, a set of clothes. Anything else left behind, all of it is gone. It is all ashes and none of it is salvageable.
You all know who to call during a disaster, but who do you call after a disaster. Where will you go to find the resources available to you?
I promise you after this speech you will know who to call after a disaster, and perhaps want to support our new facility.
My name is Danilla Sands. I am the Director of United Disaster Relief of Northern California, a disaster resource center, located in Ukiah. In the last 5 years since opening our doors in 2017 after the Redwood Fire, we have helped 10s of thousands of people. In the last year alone our team of 25 volunteers have assisted over 3,000 clients with wildfires, house fires, snow storms, power outages and Covid-19.
How many people in the audience have lost their home due to a fire?
How many people have experienced a disaster?
How many people know someone that lost their home to a fire or other type of disaster?
Look around. Disasters have become normal. We no longer say if, we say when, where and how big. 80% impacted by a disaster are uninsured or have no insurance. Short term recovery is 1-3 years and long term is 3-5. Even our clients with insurance have taken 3 years to get back on their property. Yet UDRNC is the only Disaster Resource Center of its kind.
A senior couple who lost everything in the Hopkins Fire came to us for support. We helped them get into a hotel. Then, secured them a cottage, and helped them fill out a grant for 5 months rent. We provided them with new clothes, shoes, hygiene and household appliances and delivered furniture. We stocked their kitchen with food, set up Meals on Wheels and did their laundry.
We advocate for our clients. We work with multiple partners in the community and nationally to help our clients get all resources available to them at different stages of their recovery. We accept donated semi deliveries with pallets of new items valued over $100k. We help our clients save money so they can use their funds for rebuilding, relocating and ultimately recovery.
Unfortunately, last month the senior husband took a turn for the worse. There is a part of us that is sad that our client who already lost her first husband and son to cancer, then her home in a fire now lost her 2nd husband. There is another part of us that is grateful that they spent their last 5 months together in a warm furnished home with a support system. Recently, the wife attended our all fire survivor free event here last week at this very place. She danced with a fire survivor from the Redwood Fire and later called us to say she had the best time and thanked us for all we have done for her.
I have shared this story with you, because this is just one of many success stories at our center. Recovery after a disaster can be long and grueling and the to-do lists can be overwhelming. We work one-on-one with our clients to support them long term, so your neighbors, your coworker, your friend or family member, can get back into the community more resilient. We make a promise to our clients that they will get through it, as a survivor.
Do you now know who to call during and after a disaster? - Yes
Do you know the name of your local fire department? - Yes
Do you know the name of your local hospital? - Yes
Are these permanent locations? - Yes
Then shouldn’t a disaster resource center have a permanent location? -Yes
Why wait until after the disaster to open a disaster resource center that is already open and running efficiently and trusted by many with a solid team of volunteers.
Please show your support by joining us in this fight for our clients, your community members and help secure our new facility by voting for us today.
