ASUSU looks to aid victims
A San Diego Wildfire Relief Effort is being put together by ASUSU in an effort to help out those who have been evacuated and possibly lost their homes in a 292,000-acre wildfire in Southern California.
Close to 1 million people were expected to have evacuated their homes by Tuesday night, with more than half being mandatory evacuations, CNN reported. President George Bush has declared the San Diego area in a state of emergency and plans to visit the area tomorrow, according to reporting by CNN, the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times.
At least two deaths have been confirmed from the fires with at least 30 others injured, according to The New York Times. In the seven counties the 12 fires are in, more than 292,500 acres have burned, destroying numerous homes. The length of the fires is about the distance from Brigham City to Pocatello, said Jason Burrow, ASUSU administrative assistant.
Six universities have either evacuated or are no longer holding classes, with one being used as a place of refuge for evacuees. The San Diego Chargers Qualcomm Stadium is also being used as a refuge site, sleeping 10,000 with the Del Mar racetrack holding 2,000 Monday night.
“We forget people are losing everything in this fire,” said Jodie Savage, ASUSU public relations director.
The idea was presented at Tuesday’s ASUSU Executive Council meeting by Burrows and German Ellsworth, service vice president. Students may donate money in the Student Involvement Center, Taggart Student Center Room 326, until more donation centers are decided upon. A list of items in need that students may donate will also be available at a later date.
The relief effort will be broken into two parts, ASUSU members said. The first will be to gather monetary donations along with needed supplies to send to California via the Red Cross or a similar organization which assesses needs and distributes goods. The second will be to find out the faculty and students or their families who are affected by the fires and respond to their needs.
Students can look for donation information or collections at Saturday’s tailgate party, when buying tickets for or attending the Howl, or in the service center and other places around campus.
-alison.baugh@aggiemail.usu.edu