Written by Christina Chang
Translated by H.B. Qin
Edited by Ida Eva Zielinska
On Sunday, July 14, 2024, Tzu Chi USA Northwest Region volunteers from Chico, California, held a caring disaster relief distribution for Apache Fire survivors at the African American Family & Cultural Center in Oroville. Seven families came to receive cash cards, Tzu Chi eco-blankets, and supplies that day. With the timely support of Tzu Chi volunteers, they were better equipped to face short-term challenges after the wildfire.
Tzu Chi’s Swift Response
The Apache Fire started at 7:00 PM on June 24, near the small town of Palermo in Butte County, Northern California. Palermo, home to more than 9,000 residents, is about 65 miles north of Sacramento, the capital of California, and about 188 miles from San Jose in the Bay Area. After the Apache Fire’s outbreak, the wildfire’s spread speed was fast, with the burn area extending to about 691 acres. Buildings were damaged, but fortunately, there were no casualties.
Immediately after the fire, on June 29, the Tzu Chi Chico volunteer team drove to the affected area to conduct a disaster assessment and care for the local residents affected. Tzu Chi Chico volunteers Baba Kauna Mujamal, Suzanne Morrison, and Jessica Morrison, alongside Minjhing Hsieh, the executive director of Tzu Chi USA’s Northwest Region who had traveled from San Jose to accompany them, went to the disaster area to visit each household and assess the actual conditions of the survivors’ houses that the wildfire had destroyed or damaged, to understand the survivors’ needs for assistance and formulate plans for subsequent disaster relief.
As Tzu Chi volunteers assessed damages in the disaster area, they met the staff of a long-term Tzu Chi USA partner, the American Red Cross (ARC). With ARC’s introduction, they contacted the African American Family & Cultural Center in Oroville, which is close to the fire-stricken area, requesting use of the venue as the distribution site for a small-scale disaster relief distribution for those affected by the Apache Fire. Through the rapid mobilization of Tzu Chi volunteers and the assistance of local social welfare agencies, the distribution was held on July 14, providing cash cards to help the survivors overcome their short-term living difficulties after the disaster.
Families Living in a Small Vehicle
Daulton McCalla is a farmer in the Oroville area. After the fire destroyed his house in the mountains, he and his friend had to bring their children, two families comprising four persons to safety and they then used one small vehicle as a temporary shelter. In late June, a heat wave hit California, with daytime temperatures exceeding 110 degrees Fahrenheit, making living conditions in the aftermath of the disaster hard to describe.
When Tzu Chi volunteers visited Apache Fire survivors in the mountains on June 29 and learned about McCalla’s plight, they immediately registered the disaster situation and arranged preparations for assistance. McCalla received a cash card and supplies on July 14 and was touched, saying, “You (Tzu Chi) are the only organization that came to help us. You gave us food, clothes, even tents, and we really appreciate it from the bottom of our heart.”
You didn’t even know us, but you came up the mountain to visit us. You are really powerful because what you are doing is very powerful.
At the same time, Tzu Chi volunteer Baba Kauna Mujamal contacted various parties in the hope of solving McCalla and his friend’s housing problem. Finally, his friend Aaron, touched by Tzu Chi volunteers’ dedication to helping the survivors, donated an old trailer for the families to use as a shelter. On July 19, in collaboration with the American Red Cross, Stephen Murray, a Camp Fire survivor, drove his big truck for more than an hour to deliver the trailer to the mountains so the four could have a slightly more comfortable place to live. Upon receiving it, McCalla’s heart filled with gratitude as he said, “You guys are doing so much good; you must be a very, very big organization for you to be able to help me so much, which means you must be doing more for the whole world.”
A Cash Card Provides Temporary Relief
Disaster survivor Igna Thomas and her adult daughter Nova Williams came together to receive a cash card from Tzu Chi. During the process, they listened as volunteer Baba Kauna Mujamal shared Tzu Chi’s foundational bamboo bank story and how, right until today, Tzu Chi properly utilizes donations collected little by little to help those in need in a timely manner.
After they received their cash card and the distribution process was over, the two women walked back to the parking lot, opened the trunk of their car, and took out a large bag of change. They returned to the distribution site and told the volunteers they wanted to donate the entire bag of coins to Tzu Chi to support its charity efforts.
Thomas explained that this was the change she had saved after buying lunch every day when she used to work in a company, which she did for eight years. When she began to work from home, she put all the change in the bag, put it in the trunk, and didn’t use it. Thomas told the volunteers joyfully, “I’m so happy to see that someone is willing to come up the mountain to care for us. It’s perfect to leave the change with you; it should fill at least two bamboo banks!”
Sadhana Unaria, whom the Apache Fire disaster had also impacted, lived with her family of ten in a mountainous neighborhood. Since her home burned down overnight, she was in desperate need of livelihood assistance. Unaria had never heard of the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation before, so when the volunteers came to the mountains to survey the disaster and inquire about damages caused by the wildfire, she initially thought that they were only coming to take a look.
Unexpectedly, the Tzu Chi volunteers quickly organized this disaster relief distribution, providing aid. Since the Apache Fire wasn’t a national disaster, FEMA (the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency) couldn’t help, so Tzu Chi’s distribution of cash cards was the most direct and effective form of support. Unaria said, “You guys really did a great job. You don’t have to do this, yet you’ve done so much. You’ve really helped those of us in need of help.”
Another Apache Fire disaster relief recipient, Tyler Dayton, has lived in this mountain community for years. The sudden assault of the wildfire burned up all his decades of savings. Still, fortunately, Tzu Chi volunteers, whom Dayton described as “friendly, warm, and calm,” came to care for them and provided immediate assistance. In addition to a cash card, Dayton also received a blanket and an empty bamboo bank. He told the volunteers, “I will definitely keep the bamboo bank and fill it up.”
As you guys said, the bamboo bank is just a symbol; being able to help is everything. Five dollars and five thousand dollars are the same, they both can help. When you lose everything, anything that can help us save the day is important.
Shared caption, if applies.
At the end of the mission, Tzu Chi volunteer Minjhing Hsieh, the executive director of Tzu Chi USA’s Northwest Region, said, “The Apache Fire survivor care distribution was small yet cozy, allowing the survivors to pour out their feelings about the disaster and speak out about the support they need. It also gave them a deeper understanding of Tzu Chi.”
According to him, although every affected person who came to the distribution didn’t know Tzu Chi before, they discovered a deep feeling about the care shown by the volunteers. They introduced Tzu Chi to every disaster impacted family, letting them know that, since the Camp Fire in 2018, Tzu Chi has also set up a team of volunteers in the Chico area to provide mid- and long-term recovery care for survivors of recurring wildfires in California.
After this most recent disaster, Tzu Chi USA Northwest Region volunteers quickly sent substantial support to those affected by the Apache Fire in remote areas, bringing timely relief and care to the survivors in the midst of the scorching summer heat. They are always ready to help when disaster strikes. Your support and love empower their capacity!
