The seven thousand Afghan refugees at Wisconsin’s Fort McCoy need medical care and warm clothes.
Commanders say they are dealing with immediate needs as people arrive at the base. Fort McCoy can handle as many as 13 thousand Afghans, though it’s not clear if there will ever be that many at the base at one time. The state, along with the Red Cross in La Crosse and Catholic Charities are spearheading a donation drive to help the refugees. Much of the relief effort for Wisconsin’s Afghan refugees is being run through western Wisconsin.
Donations are being run through the armory in Sparta. The Red Cross and Catholic Charities in La Crosse are helping organize other assistance. Commanders at Fort McCoy say there’s a real need for warm clothes and children’s clothes. Many of the refugees left Afghanistan with only what they could carry.
Drop-off donations bins are located at the Sparta Armory at 602 East Division Street. Donations can be dropped off everyday from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.
As far as next steps, one of the Wisconsin lawmakers who represents the Fort McCoy area says it’s ‘highly unlikely’ that many of the seven thousand Afghan refugees currently at the fort will stay in Wisconsin.
Senator Howard Marklein toured the fort last week. He said people are being cared for and kept in quarantine for at least two weeks. After that, Marklein said the Department of Homeland Security is looking to relocate the refugees. He says it’s not likely they will stay in west-central Wisconsin. Marklein says the federal government has a list of 19 cities where it is looking to relocate the refugees, none of them are in Wisconsin.
