Californian Casinos have stepped up and offered temporary shelter to victims of the horrific wildfires that swept through the state. The fires destroyed over 200 000 acres across Napa, Sonoma and Lake counties. It’s good to see that certain California Casinos are stepping forward to offer assistance to those in need.
Californian Casinos have stepped up to help those affected by the recent wildfires.
Californian Casinos Provide Shelter
When dozens of fires broke out on the 8th of October 2017, Twin Pine Casino and Graton Casino became evacuation centers. The horrific fires, which have become known as the Tubbs Fire, eventually went on to kill numerous people and destroyed over 5000 homes and other buildings. The Twin Pine Casino went on to convert its event center into a shelter for the Red Cross, taking in hundreds of displaced people. As it stands right now, only about 30 people remain in the shelter. The shelter will be closed next week.
The Graton Rancheria casino also did its park; however, it went about it a different way. It did not create a shelter. However, it offered its hotel rooms to evacuees at no charge. The casino also pledged to donate $1 million to the fire relief efforts.
Fire Cause Still Unknown
Typically, casinos tend to be among the first organizations to pitch in when disaster strikes, and Californian casinos have been no different. The Twin Pine Casino has only been open for two years, but during that time, it has been an evacuation center on four separate occasions. It was an evacuation site for three other wildfires, as well as the Hidden Valley flooding in January 2017.
At this stage, it is still unclear what cause the massive outbreak of fires. The current theory is that high winds may have knocked down several power lines at different locations, causing the blaze. Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) claimed the winds were at the same level as a hurricane in the days leading up to the fire. However, new evidence says the winds were gusting up to 41 mph.
This is bad news for PG&E, as power lines must be able to withstand winds up to 56 mph in California. We wish the best for everyone affected by the fires, and we hope they’re able to put their lives back together as quickly as possible.
