Help Reservation Communities Recover from Fires

July 2012 will go down as the hottest July on record. Coupled with the worst drought since the 1950s, fires have been ravaging Indian Country.

Especially hard hit is the Northern Cheyenne reservation, following a June fire near Ashland, a second fire burned this past week near Lame Deer. The Rosebud complex is comprised of six wildfires and has burned 205 square miles. To the west, a wildfire burned east of Crow Agency at the same time.

The Longhorn complex fires burned 70 square miles on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation at the end of July.

Some of the other reservations that had fires this year are San Carlos Apache, Fort Apache, Fort Yuma, all in Arizona, Southern Ute in Colorado, Western Mohegan in New York, near Flathead in Montana, Yakima and Umatilla in Washington, Pine Ridge in South Dakota, and Fort Hall in Idaho.

Some Indians have lost everything and others endured hardship as they have had to evacuate their homes. During these times, the American Red Cross has been there to assist. Please give to the Red Cross nationally or to a local chapter so they may continue to help those in need. You can specifically state you would like your donation to assist on a reservation. Click here to make a donation.