From her home in the Interior Alaska town of Salcha the past few weeks, Red Cross volunteer Anne Johnson has been providing aid to people displaced by Northern California wildfires.
She’s been a Red Cross volunteer for about 18 years and has been deployed to disasters across the country, including the 2017 California wildfires, which claimed her sister’s home.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Johnson’s most recent deployment is taking place virtually from her living room. But she said it has turned out to be her best deployment yet.
Johnson is one of 30 Alaskans who have deployed virtually or in-person to respond to wildfires burning across California, Oregon and Washington.
At first, Johnson wondered how she could help from Alaska.