Organizations work to assist dozens of families displaced by Texas wildfires
McALLEN, Texas — A stream of red-colored water poured from an air tanker Sunday as it flew over the eastern side of the Smokehouse Creek fire, one of several wildfires that have burned more than 1.2 million acres in the northern Texas Panhandle.
As firefighters battle high winds in their efforts to control unprecedented wildfires in the Texas Pandhandle, humanitarian organizations are turning their attention to the victims who have lost their homes and livelihoods to the fires.
Residents began cleaning up affected properties on Saturday, and by Sunday the extent of damage began to increase.
Julie Winters, executive director of Hutchinson County United Way, said the organization has heard estimates that more than 150 homes in the county have been affected, noting that the fires extend to at least five other counties.
“We already know that a large group of people are uninsured and have lost their homes. So without financial help it will be very difficult for them to start over,” Winters said.
About 70 families from Fritch, Texas, approached the organization at an event Friday, but Winters believes many more families will come forward in the coming days and weeks.
“Our goal is just long-term to get people back into shelters,” Winters said.
A steady stream of donated clothing, water and hot meals soon flooded a town in the affected area. On Sunday, the city of Borger urged people to shift their donation efforts from food and water to cleaning supplies.
“We NO LONGER NEED WATER OR BEVERAGES,” the city said in a social media post. “We still need cleaning equipment such as shovels, rakes, gloves and sturdy garbage bags. We still do not accept clothing. Other clothing drop-off points have been flooded and are no longer accepting them.”
Monetary donations from people ranging from $25 to $500 have been critical to the Hutchinson County United Way Wildfire Relief Fund, which distributes proceeds to displaced families.
“I think sometimes people don’t understand in a small rural community that there is no transitional housing,” Winters said. “We don’t have real estate like that and we don’t even have hotels that can take care of those things.”
Winters said the fires remind her of the similarly devastating impact of the 2014 Fritch fire, when countless families also lost their homes and were unable to return.
“How do you get people back home so they can stay in our community and not have to move somewhere else?” Winters said.
During an interview with CNN on Sunday, US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said the federal government has deployed money, equipment and personnel to help fight the fires, but warned that more extreme weather could come .
“More than a million hectares have been burned. And we’re in winter, and this is the largest fire in Texas history,” Mayorkas said. “We, as a country and as a world, must be ready for the increasing consequences of extreme weather caused by climate change. It is a remarkable fire.” phenomenon, and it will manifest itself in the coming days, and we must prepare for it now.”
As of Sunday afternoon, the Smokehouse Creek fire, which has burned more than 1 million acres, was 15% contained. Two other fires that burned a total of 180,000 acres (72843.49 hectares) were 60% contained. Authorities have not said what started the fires, but strong winds, dry grass and unseasonably warm temperatures fueled the blazes.
___
Associated Press writer Thomas Strong contributed to this story from Washington, DC