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The Salvation Army remains a pillar of support for long-term recovery and personalized care to those affected by the Gray and Oregon Road wildfires in Spokane, Washington.
The Gray and Oregon Road wildfires erupted in Spokane, Washington, Aug. 18, 2023, engulfing 21,000 acres and destroying 366 homes before they were contained Sept. 1.
“At certain points, you could hardly see your hand in front of your face due to the smoke all over the city,” said Salvation Army Spokane Citadel Corps Officer Captain David Cain, adding that Spokane’s geographical positioning near the mountains intensified the smoke.
The Salvation Army Emergency/Disaster Services (EDS) deployed three canteens to provide food, water and emotional/spiritual care near each fire perimeter. Additionally, The Salvation Army established a central location at the Disaster Assistance Center (DAC) to collaborate with other relief agencies.
“The Salvation Army provides a unique ability to respond because of our infrastructure, reach and familiarity with the region,” said Cain. “We needed to be sure we were at the table and involved with the recovery process.”
Nearly half a year after the fires, the need for long-term recovery and assistance remains. In response, The Salvation Army in Spokane has secured funding for four case managers to provide personalized assistance to survivors of the fires.
“Case management is beneficial in scenarios like this because of the number of lives affected,” Cain said of the fires that claimed two lives and became one of the most destructive disasters in Spokane since the 1991 firestorm that burned at least 35,000 acres.
The 2023 forest fires occurred at different locations within Spokane, with the Gray fire originating in Medical Lake and the Oregon Road fire starting to the northeast of Mount Spokane. Each location now has two assigned case managers.
“We arranged accommodations for individuals to stay in local hotels, shelters and transitional apartment units operated by The Salvation Army,” Cain said. “We then started the process of determining what’s next for each case.”
Cain recalled a family that, despite losing their home, expressed a strong desire to remain on their property. To facilitate this, the family acquired a trailer and the Spokane Citadel Corps assisted by covering the transportation expenses.
After the trailer was delivered to the property, it became evident setting up running water would be a time-consuming process. Cain then provided the family with a hotel stay until running water was available.
“We work hard to establish trust between ourselves and families or individuals,” Cain said. “We want them to know we really want what is in the best interest of their safety and well-being.”
According to Cain, case managers like Alaysha Cavitt-Breithaupt help to address these unique and challenging situations.
Cavitt-Breithaupt joined the team in November. In her role as Lead Case Manager, she works with those affected by the Medical Lake fire, identifying specific needs to then connect them with resources. She said the team has connected with over 200 individuals and families and currently have around 80 active cases of people they’re helping.
The most common need the case managers see is for financial assistance, she said.
“Everyone’s needs are different,” Cavitt-Breithaupt said. “For many clients, we’ve provided gas vouchers and food boxes because they have to spend most of their money on trying to rebuild.”
According to Cavitt-Breithaupt, the journey toward stability will continue with a commitment to trust, care and personalized assistance.
“Some people don’t have immediate needs,” Cavitt-Breithaupt said. “But what they really need is someone to listen and to validate that they’ve lost something.”
Case managers will continue taking on new clients who need support.
For Cain, the continued efforts in Spokane represent The Salvation Army’s willingness to intervene, and its commitment to care long after the initial disaster.
“Seeing the community find trust and appreciation in our presence during a time of tragedy is a powerful example of who we are to our community,” he said.
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