The smoke alarms were screaming as the young mom felt her way up the steps, calling to her six sleeping kids. Later, the young family huddled outside in their car, watching their home and belongings burn to nothing.

“It’s like a bad dream that I want to wake up from,” Nortoya Evans says.

But the fire on May 6 at Evans’ rental unit in Kenosha wasn’t a dream. Staring at her home that morning, Evans had so many questions. How would she take care of her family? What would happen to them?

“I had no idea where we would go,” she says.

It wasn’t until the Red Cross volunteers arrived a short time later that Evans would learn the answers. They would help with shelter, food and clothing for her and her kids.

That afternoon, the answers kept on coming. Red Cross Caseworker Kathy Mertens met with Evans and gave her additional assistance, as well as resources to turn to for her long term needs. The future was still uncertain, but Evans started thinking about recovery.

“She helped me out a lot,” Evans says.

For now, the Evans family is living day-to-day, waiting for more answers about their future living arrangement.

“I tell my kids it will get better,” Evans says. “I am trying not to stress out about something that I can’t control.”

The American Red Cross in Southeastern Wisconsin relies on donations of time and money so they can provide relief to victims of disasters and help people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies in Dodge, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Walworth and Waukesha counties. To donate your time, please visit our Volunteer page. Financial donations can be made online through our secure contribution site.