Georgia residents face growing wildfire threats as the Red Cross urges everyone to prepare before disaster strikes.
🔥 Why It Matters: Wildfires destroy homes and upend lives with little warning, leaving families vulnerable. Georgia now experiences about 2,300 wildfires annually, a number that continues to climb due to changing climate conditions.
🌡️ What’s Happening: Rising temperatures and prolonged drought periods have created perfect conditions for wildfires across Georgia. The combination of drier vegetation and more frequent heat waves has transformed the state’s forests into potential tinderboxes.
“At the Red Cross we never stop preparing for disasters because we know they can happen anytime, anywhere,” said Adelaide Kirk, Regional Disaster Officer for the Red Cross of Georgia. “Large disasters are occurring almost continuously, and it only takes one to change someone’s life forever.”
🚨 How To Prepare: The Red Cross recommends creating an evacuation plan that includes how family members will stay connected, where to go, transportation plans, and temporary housing options.
Sign up for free local government emergency alerts and download the Red Cross Emergency app for real-time updates in both English and Spanish.
👥 How You Can Help: The organization urgently needs volunteers for:
- Disaster Action Teams to help families after home fires
- Shelter support during evacuations
- Licensed healthcare providers to offer disaster health services
The Red Cross welcomes volunteers from all backgrounds and cultures. Visit redcross.org/volunteer to learn more and sign up for free training today.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
