“Because I feel passionate about mission of the Red Cross, I took two weeks’ vacation from my regular full-time job to deploy to Macon, Georgia, to help with hurricane relief efforts, and I would do it again in a heartbeat,”said Red Cross volunteer Cara from Yankton, South Dakota.
Cara recently returned home from Georgia and quickly chose to extend her service for another week virtually. She said during this assignment her primary responsibility involved working in the office, but she did have the chance to work in the field for a day doing damage assessment.
Cara (pictured left) with Red Crossers Cortney and Jamar. Cara and Cortney had worked together on other disaster relief operations, but only virtually. This was the first time they had the opportunity to work together in person. (Photo submitted)
“Although most of my time was behind the scenes, I was doing a job that I love,” explained Cara. “The people you meet and bonds you make through these shared experiences are the things that make it so easy to say ‘yes’ when I get a call, especially when work and family commitments fall in line and I was able to get away for two weeks.”
At the end of each workday, her team reviewed daily achievements and the forthcoming day’s priorities. “I was energized and amazed by the stories from the field,” Cara said. “The impact of the Red Cross’s work – whether it was the number of meals served or people sheltered was astonishing. Fellow volunteers shared about being recognized with their Red Cross vests on – and how it gave people hope that we were there to help.”
Cara (pictured left) pictured with fellow volunteer Dee Dee Larson from our Minnesota and Dakotas Region. (Photo submitted)
A heartbreaking memory of her deployment was the day she conducted damage assessment in the field. Witnessing the aftermath of the hurricane was an emotional reminder of the importance and relevance of the work the Red Cross does.
One of the unforgettable encounters Cara had was with a man whose home was severely damaged – living without electricity and a fallen tree in his living area. When the storm hit, he woke up from sleeping and went outside to get his dog, but found the dog had passed away after a tree had fallen on his doghouse. “If he had made it outside in time to get his dog, they both would have been sleeping in the room where the tree fell through the house,” Cara sadly recalls. “I will never forget that experience.”
Cara’s biggest takeaway from this experience was the understanding that every role, whether front-line or behind the scenes, contributes toward a unified goal. “There are lots of moving pieces in a disaster relief operation, pieces that frequently change but all have a way of coming together. And that, to me, is the meaning of One Red Cross!”
In the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, countless families were torn apart. Amidst the chaos, the Red Cross reunification teams worked tirelessly to bring hope and connection back to those affected. This vital work continues as the Red Cross remains committed to reuniting loved ones and restoring communication disrupted by these devastating storms. While this service may not receive as much attention as other disaster relief efforts, it has handled over 11,500 inquiries, helping to mend the broken lines of communication.
Alex Wincell, a dedicated Red Cross volunteer from the Minnesota and Dakotas Region, was virtually deployed to the reunification team. “I knew I couldn’t go in person due to some obligations at home, but I wanted to help,” Alex shared. She was quickly assigned to the task just days after the chaos ensued, when the situation was still highly uncertain.
Red Cross volunteer Alex Wincell, pictured in 2020, helping with a local fire response in Minneapolis. Photo by Lynette Nyman – American Red Cross.
This was Alex’s first experience with reunification work. “I was able to use my case work background which was extremely useful. If you like puzzles, this would be a good role for you because its creative problem solving. It’s fascinating and very meaningful when all the pieces come together.”
Among her many contributions, Alex recalls a particularly touching case where she assisted an 83-year-old woman in locating her long-time friend and colleague, an 86-year-old resident from Asheville, North Carolina. The two had been in contact shortly before the storm, but Alex only had the friend’s phone number, not an address.
Reuniting friends can be more challenging than family members, as families often have networks to aid in making contact. Despite this, after ten days of diligent effort, Alex was able to reach the woman’s daughter, who confirmed that her mother had weathered the storms and was safe.
In another case, Alex was tasked with finding an elderly person living in a remote area cut off by blocked roads and out-of-service landlines. Using tools like property records and Google, she managed to contact the woman’s neighbor. They agreed to bring their cell phone to her house so that Alex could speak with her directly.
In this reunion, there was so much gratification, and I know how much both parties appreciated our efforts,” Alex reported.
“Even through the phone, I could tell it made the person who was found happy to know that someone was looking for her.”
Reflecting on her virtual deployment, Alex noted that while she prefers working in person, “this type of work makes sense to do virtually since it all begins with the seeker who can be from anywhere in the country or the world. It still gave me a lot of client contact and it was a very rewarding experience.”
This story is just one example of how the Red Cross is committed to alleviating human suffering in the face of emergencies. If you are inspired by Alex’s story and want to make a difference, consider volunteering or donating to the Red Cross today. To apply to become a Red Cross volunteer visit redcross.org/givetime, to donate visit redcross.org or text the word HURRICANES to 90999.
“Everything was good until Beryl came,” says Delta Alexander, a lifelong resident of Union Island in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
“Everything was good until Beryl came,” says Delta Alexander, who was born and raised on Union Island in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. She is grateful for the care and support that the local Red Cross provided following Hurricane Beryl. Photo: Lynette Nyman/IFRC
She’s thankful for the care and support the local Red Cross provided after Hurricane.
Beryl. Delta left Union Island in 1969, always planning to return, and in 2015, after retiring from a nursing career in Canada and the U.S., she came back to rebuild her life.
For the next three years, she built a home and continued her humanitarian work in this tight-knit community. The hurricane hasn’t slowed her down.
“The people I’m grieving for are those in shelters. They have no money, nowhere to go. They lost everything, houses, clothing, even underwear,” she says.
Her house, situated on low land near the shore, was quickly surrounded by high water during the category 5 storm that struck parts of the Caribbean on July 1. The winds, too, were a threat. For four hours, she held back a door, dislocating her shoulder. At 78, her strength and generosity are inspiring.
“I saw death right there. How am I going to escape?” she recalls asking herself during the storm.
The trauma connected her with St. Vincent and the Grenadines Red Cross (SVGRC) volunteers who responded to help people on multiple islands and the mainland.
Early in the emergency, Red Cross volunteers set up relief operations at a church on Union Island, distributing non-food items as well as a space for people to share their experiences – it was much-needed and appreciated emotional support.
“Red Cross was wonderful. People were very nice. So soothing. Helpful and encouraging,” says Delta.
Small society, many hazards
The SVG Red Cross is a young national society that gained its independence from the British Red Cross in 1984. Today, the SVGRC is comprised of a nearly 100 percent volunteer workforce, including key leaders like Shaneika Laidlow who manages their disaster and mental health programs. Their aim, she says, is to help people get back to normalcy.
“We offer assistance to those who most need it, to the best of our ability,” says Shaneika Laidlow, who manages disaster and mental health programs for the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Red Cross. Photo: Lynette Nyman/IFRC
“During these times people can get very frustrated. Does the Red Cross care for them?” says Shaneika, who is based in the nation’s capital on the mainland, St. Vincent. The answer is yes.
“There are so many people we would love to make better, but there are some things we’re unable to do at this time because of restraints. We offer assistance to those who most need it to the best of our ability,” she says.
The scope of the work, and the potential need, is challenging. This small nation and Red Cross society faces multiple hazards, including tropical storms, flooding, hurricanes, and even an active volcano.
In early October, monitoring showed unusual thermal activity of the La Soufriere volcano – activating the government to issue a low-level warning and close the trail to the summit.
La Soufriere, shrouded in clouds, is an explosive volcano that most recently erupted in 2021. It’s one of several hazards facing the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Red Cross. Photo: Lynette Nyman/IFRC
The thermal anomaly stopped, but reminded many of past explosive eruptions like the most recent in 2021 when, on April 9, the dome inside the crater blew and for days spewed devastating volcanic ash across communities.
“It was like the sun was out, but not there. It was all dark,” remembers Edwin Joe, who lived in the countryside distant from the ‘red zone’. He remembers ash covering everything. “Just white everywhere, like bright snow with no sun. We didn’t know what was going to happen.”
Edwin Joe evacuated the St. Vincent, the mainland, for two weeks following the eruption of the volcano La Soufriere in 2021 and returned to find houses that had roofs collapsed from the volcanic ash. Photo: Lynette Nyman/IFRC
Edwin evacuated the mainland for two weeks and returned to find some houses that had roofs collapsed from the volcanic ash. Many people stayed in shelters for several months.
The Red Cross formed part of the response with the government and other emergency partners, providing water, relief items and temporary housing assistance.
Help around the corner
The good news is that during challenging times a small Red Cross society like the SVGRC can turn to other national societies for help, primarily through the International Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC).
Raziel Uranga, a Mexican Red Cross responder with decades of disaster response experience deployed through the IFRC ‘surge’ program to serve as response operations support in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. His predecessor, he says, arrived just a few days after the hurricane, helping the SVGRC manage a large disaster response.
Photo 4 – Small Red Cross societies “need support from the global Red Cross network in order to grow as fast as they can, especially with the multiple hazards they’re facing,” says Raziel Uranga from the Mexican Red Cross, now deployed to support the SVG Red Cross provide relief for people affected by Hurricane Beryl. Photo: Lynette Nyman/IFRC
“Red Cross is the best humanitarian movement in the world, I am convinced, because no other organization has the workforce that we have,” says Raziel, whose passion lies in reducing risks amid the rising frequency of severe disasters.
Responders and donors from around the world – and in their own communities – have provided relief for people affected by Hurricane Beryl.
It’s uplifting for many to see this unified effort. And yet, when something big happens, a small national Red Cross society like the SVGRC needs help to do its best now and beyond.
“They need support from the global Red Cross network in order to grow as fast as they can, especially with the multiple hazards they’re facing,” says Raziel.
These hazards can destroy homes and livelihoods. Building back both is the focus on Mayreau, an islet just a short boat ride from Union. Wheelbarrow by wheelbarrow, people are removing rubble to restore the island’s sole income, tourism.
“We have to clean up this island to get tourism back – to get people back from Martinique – to see the turtles,” says Patrick Forde, a water-taxi driver before the storm.
“We have to clean up this island to get tourism back – to get people back from Martinique – to see the turtles,” says Patrick Forde, a water-taxi driver before the storm devastated Mayreau, an islet in the Grenadines. Photo: Lynette Nyman/IFRC
Patrick rode out the hurricane in a small cupboard with his two children. “I’m lucky to be alive,” he says when looking back.
Tiny but mighty, what he loves about his island is the way people unite. “Whenever there’s a disaster, we all show up and work together.”
Learn more about the work of Red Cross societies around the world, like SVGRC, through the IFRC, click here.
Red Cross volunteer Mark Capaldini from the Twin Cities Chapter of the Minnesota and Dakotas Region recently returned from a 10-day deployment to North and South Carolina. He helped in food operations, driving an emergency response vehicle (ERV) to deliver meals to the communities affected by the wrath of Hurricane Helene. Mark also helped in the distribution of emergency relief supplies in these communities. This was his third such national deployment.
Mark Capaldini, pictured at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport as he starts a 10-day deployment to North and South Carolina for Hurricane Helene disaster relief. (Photo submitted)
For the first six days Mark worked with an ERV driving partner, Jeff Wick from Texas. On one of those days Mark and Jeff travelled into a severely impacted community to distribute food and teamed up with two more Red Cross volunteers to package and distribute hot meals.
Mark Capaldini pictured helping with meal distribution with fellow Red Cross volunteers Tim Perry, Greg Purkey, and Jeff Wick in a small South Carolina town — Ware Shoals on 10/11/2024. (Photo submitted)
“We were thanked almost daily for being there and helping out,” Mark humbly expressed. “Frequently, these expressions of gratitude, often paired with a ‘bless you,’ originated from receivers of our food and clean-up kits. We were even thanked by passersby at local gas stations and fast-food locations.”
Mark’s assignment then shifted to delivering emergency relief supplies to some of the communities hardest hit.
Witnessing the aftermath in Boone, North Carolina, a town in the Blue Ridge Mountains that experienced immense damage from rains, flooding, winds, and a tornado, was a glaring reality check. Mark explained that “furniture and supplies were strewn and stacked outside homes, painting a grim picture of the devastation.”
View of a Boone, North Carolina, neighborhood devastated by the aftermath of Hurricane Heleneprovided a somber illustration of the disaster’s magnitude. (Photo submitted)
He further noted the widespread impact on the landscape. “The water that rushed down from the mountains carved out huge chunks of the countryside and sometimes completely washed the roads out, requiring us to travel on temporary gravel paths. This is an enormous effort that will take years to get the roads and infrastructure repaired.”
View of a Boone, North Carolina, neighborhood devastated by the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Temporary gravel paths replaced washed out roads. (Photo submitted)
When asked about his chance to get some well-deserved rest following the deployment, Mark agreed, emphasizing the comfort he anticipated upon returning to his own bed.
“It worked out for me to go and help,” Mark said. “My experience reiterated the critical role the Red Cross plays in these relief operations in responding to natural disasters.”
Mark Capaldini is a board member of the American Red Cross Twin Cities Chapter of the Minnesota and Dakotas Region.
American Red Cross Minnesota and Dakotas Region 