“The value that the Red Cross is providing with emergency preparedness aligns perfectly with one of SCE’s goals, which is to make sure that our customers are prepared for any emergency, including a power outage,” said Alejandro Esparza, SCE principal manager of Corporate Giving and Community Engagement.Īnderson recently joined a group of Edison International volunteers who visited 365 Southern California homes to install the best line of defense against a home fire: a working smoke alarm. Since 2004, SCE has provided more than $5 million in funding to the Red Cross. The Red Cross distributes those funds to several communities throughout SCE’s service area. This year, Edison International has provided a $500,000 grant to the greater Los Angeles region of the Red Cross to support its emergency preparedness efforts. They helped my family the night of our home fire, so my family and I have been supporters of the Red Cross ever since.” “It’s how the organization has personally touched us or one of our loved ones’ lives. “A lot of us who are involved with or supporting the Red Cross talk about our ‘Red Cross story,’” she said. Now, the SCE senior executive is working to prevent those tragedies as a member of the Red Cross board of directors.

In the 377,000 home fires during 2020, more than 2,700 people died and 11,000 were injured.

Every 89 seconds, a home fire ignites in the U.S. The volunteers helped with hotel and food vouchers, so we had a place to stay and something to eat.”Īnderson’s story is not uncommon. “They started talking to my parents and brought stuffed animals for my sister and me. “We were standing across the street, watching the fire department try to put the fire out when the American Red Cross volunteers showed up,” said Anderson, Southern California Edison executive vice president of Operations. Hope seemed lost until a volunteer arrived with a stuffed animal. Her family watched helplessly as firefighters responded, attempting to save their home and belongings. When Jill Anderson was in the third grade, her house caught fire.

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