SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Aug. 17 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Red Cross has mobilized its emergency teams in the face of the forest fire that started on the night of August 15 in the Arafo mountains and after the declaration of the Level 2 Emergency Situation, activating 71 people and 28 vehicles.
With this, it has deployed the Immediate Emergency Response Teams (ERIE) for shelter, communications, psychosocial and search and rescue in terrestrial environments, as well as the Data Processing Team, as reported by the Red Cross in a press release.
They have also set up three shelters with beds, blankets, hygiene and food kits, with capacity for 177 people, installed in the municipality of Arafo (Andrés Orozco school), El Rosario (Leticia Batista Sports hall) and La Orotava (Quiquirá Sports hall ). There are currently 57 people sheltered in these resources.
The Red Cross has also welcomed the animals that have had to leave their homes, which amount to 55 pets, in the spaces set up in these shelters. This action is the result of a joint project between the College of Veterinarians, the Government of the Canary Islands and the Red Cross.
In terms of food, more than 996 rations of food for breakfast, lunch and dinner have been delivered to the people in charge of fighting the flames, and 594 calls have been made to users of the Teleassistance service in the affected areas (Arafo, Candelaria , El Rosario, Santa Úrsula and La Victoria) to monitor them, provide self-protection and support recommendations, and detect needs.
On the other hand, the Red Cross also offers psychosocial support to people housed in these shelters and the transfer of evacuees who have required it.
For its part, the Red Cross Land Search and Rescue Team has been activated to support the extinction brigades that are working on the fire, in case medical attention and evacuation of the personnel involved are necessary.
