Red Cross volunteer reflects on disaster relief during unprecedented hurricane season

Kim Mailes, American Red Cross

“After Hurricane Ian, I thought my bad luck was behind me,” the woman said with tears in her eyes. “And then came Idalia. And then Helene. And now Milton. I don’t know how much more I can take.”

I listened while sitting beside her cot in an American Red Cross shelter in Florida and realized our world has crossed the threshold to a new normal, a world where disasters caused by climate crisis require continuous response and result in repetitive loss.

I have just returned from my fourth hurricane relief operation in 90 days. This year I’ve responded to everything from wildfires in Texas to tornadoes in Arkansas to floods in Iowa — a total of ten deployments across the country. And I notice that I’m being deployed to places I’ve already been, places just recovering from the last disaster, only to get slammed again.

Our country is experiencing twice as many disasters as just ten years ago, a trend that is projected to accelerate. During my time volunteering in Florida, I witnessed how the Red Cross is meeting that challenge by increasing the capabilities of our workforce and by partnering with organizations in hard-hit areas to build resiliency before disasters strike.

During my most recent deployment in Florida, I served as Story Producer and Public Affairs Manager for the operation, telling the story of Red Cross service delivery and managing both internal and external communications. I witnessed firsthand the power of the Red Cross to bring hope to those whose lives have been upended by disaster and help them navigate their way to recovery.

As Story Producer I drove hundreds of miles all over the state, telling the stories of remarkable Red Cross volunteers. I stood by them in shelters as they cared for thousands of people driven from their homes by disaster, and watched as they provided mental health and spiritual support to people after the worst day of their lives. I saw gratitude in shelter residents’ eyes when a Red Cross volunteer replaced their lost prescriptions or reunited them with loved ones displaced during the hurricane. I told the stories of vital behind-the-scenes volunteer workers who make up our warehouse and feeding teams, and how volunteer emergency response vehicle drivers distributed hot meals to neighborhoods that had been without electricity for weeks. In a word, I saw the Red Cross bring hope to people whose lives had been blown apart by the storm, providing a glimmer of optimism that there will be a brighter day.

As Public Affairs Manager I helped ensure that the leadership team had accurate information to guide the recovery effort, and I crafted messages to let the outside world know the Red Cross was on the scene providing for the safety and immediate needs of the people affected. I spread the message that the Red Cross will continue to be there for weeks and months to come, providing support as they recover.

Serving as a national spokesperson, I explained the Red Cross mission to viewers across the country and encouraged them to support our efforts with their financial support. And just as importantly, I guarded our most important asset, the integrity of the Red Cross, by vigilantly monitoring social media and making sure external messaging was timely, accurate, and precise, and that media had the information they need to help us spread the word.

I also saw first-hand the success of a new Red Cross initiative, the Community Adaptation Program (CAP). Realizing that certain areas are prone to repetitive disaster loss and that many of these areas are at-risk communities, the CAP program builds resiliency before disaster strikes by supporting hyper-local humanitarian organizations. The CAP program embeds Red Cross staffers in the community to foster collaborations between local organizations to make the unified whole greater than the sum of the parts.  Because of CAP, local community organizations are empowered to be prepared before disasters strike.  

An example of CAP success in Florida is a Hispanic food pantry that was able to continue serving the community, even when the area was without power after the hurricane. The Red Cross had previously supplied the pantry with a generator and a large freezer, and distribution of food to the community was uninterrupted by the disaster. Other partners in that community filled vital roles as well, largely due to Red Cross efforts to facilitate cooperation, with each organization doing what they do best to help others in times of need.

When I became a Red Cross volunteer, I didn’t really know what I was signing up for. But it wasn’t long before I was hooked, and when I’m asked to deploy, I respond. I’m grateful the Red Cross really got to know me, found out what I do best, and provided excellent training to put those skills to work helping others.

We’re facing unprecedented environmental challenges, but the Red Cross is adapting — like we always have — to meet them head-on.  By strengthening our people and processes, and by working side-by-side with our partners, we will continue to provide hope and recovery to those affected by disasters. In a world filled with problems, the Red Cross is a solution, and I’m proud to be part of what I believe is the greatest humanitarian organization in the world.

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