A rash of fires broke out across the QCA over the weekend, leaving families with nowhere to go and putting a lot of stress on emergency responders and their resources.
There were half a dozen fires in Davenport alone. At least three of them house fires that the American Red Cross responded to.
Each week there are three or four Red Cross volunteers who are on call and ready to help out if disaster strikes.
"It has been a very hectic weekend for the Red Cross," said Kasey Kelly with the Red Cross of the Quad Cities. "We have been responding to a lot of fires."
Over the weekend, the Red Cross responded to three fires in Davenport, one fire in Moline, and an apartment fire in Princeton, Illinois that left 30 people in need of assistance.
"It's just been incredibly busy for us."
Kelly said the local Red Cross chapter is currently assisting 15 families in the region. Families who now know the tragedy it is to lose your home to a fire.
"We put them up in a hotel for several days and make sure they've got an adequate place to stay," Kelly said. "And even if they do have a family to stay with, we'll help them with sheets and blankets an things like that."
All if it becomes expensive. Even sheets and blankets add up after a disaster-packed weekend.
"Several of the families had infants so that's a completely different set of worries in terms of formula and diapers and car seats, things like that," said Kelly.
"Financially it was a strenuous weekend for the Red Cross."
But, strenuous or not, that's what the Red Cross is available for -- helping families through their darkest hour, and bringing them back from the brink of disaster.
