Mount Vernon Community Rallies to Support 100 Families Displaced by Fire

Community Disaster Response

• 🚒 A devastating five-alarm fire on Cottage Avenue in Mount Vernon displaced over 100 families just before Thanksgiving.
• 🤝 Volunteers from Mount Vernon, White Plains, New Rochelle, and New York City, along with state and county government support, have stepped up to aid the victims.
• 📍 The Dole Center in Mount Vernon has become a hub for a coordinated disaster relief operation, where volunteers, social workers, and city employees sort and distribute donations.

Temporary Shelter and School Reopening

• 🏫 Holmes Elementary School, which had been closed, was cleaned and reopened overnight to serve as a temporary shelter for displaced families, their children, and pets.
• 📚 The superintendent of schools is focused on maintaining normalcy for the children by encouraging them to attend school.

Fire and Building Status

• 🔥 Mount Vernon firefighters battled the blaze for 12 hours, with seven ladder trucks dumping 8,000 gallons of water per minute.
• ⚠️ Two firefighters were treated for smoke inhalation and remain hospitalized.
• 🏗️ The apartment building is now unstable, with no roof, and deemed unsafe for residents to salvage belongings.

Donation and Support Efforts

• 👚 Donations of clothing, shoes, socks, blankets, and hygiene supplies are being collected and distributed.
• 🎒 Backpacks are highlighted as particularly helpful for carrying belongings.
• 💳 Gift cards to stores like Target, Walmart, and Kohl's are also greatly appreciated.
• 💰 Financial contributions can be made through the city of Mount Vernon website.