Additional Disaster Workers Deploying to Texas
Updated: September 27, 2018
Five more disaster workers from the Colorado & Wyoming Region of the Red Cross have been deployed to the Texas Gulf Coast to support the recovery phase of our disaster response.
Darlene Moore – a volunteer with the Red Cross of Western Colorado chapter will be part of the Red Cross recovery team helping people find resources and develop plans for moving forward.
Edward Duball – a volunteer nurse with the Red Cross of Southeastern Colorado Chapter will provide medical support for people affected by the flood.
James Boardman and Edwin Firoved – both volunteers with the Red Cross of Southeastern Colorado chapter will be part of the red Cross recovery team helping people find resources and develop plans for moving forward.
William Delaney – a volunteer with the Red Cross of Wyoming chapter will be part of the Red Cross recovery team helping people find resources and develop plans for moving forward.
More than 300 people stayed in Red Cross and community shelters following the devastating flood caused by torrential from tropical storm Imelda. More than 40 inches of rain fell across southeast Texas. Less than a week later, over 350 disaster responders—volunteers from across the country have demonstrated exceptional flexibility and teamwork, using the latest in mobile RC View geospatial technology, and overcoming floodwaters and storm-caused barriers to complete individual damage assessments of over 4,000 homes across an area of 7,600 square miles in less than 3 days, of which, nearly 1,800 households with major damage who may urgently need disaster assistance.
According to one Texas responder, “Numbers are great, but what’s more important is that there are people associated with the points [on the disaster assessment map]. I talk to those people, shed a tear with these people, and I make sure that I dispatch emergency supplies and support, and that’s what it is really about.”
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Updated Tuesday, September 24, 2019 – Four additional disaster responders have been sent to help the people of southeast Texas recover from devastating floods.
Lee Myer – a volunteer with the Red Cross of Southeastern Colorado chapter has been sent as help manage the logistics effort.
Walter Burns – a volunteer with the Red Cross of the Mile High Area chapter has been sent to support Disaster Services Technology.
Thomas Bethke – a volunteer with the Red Cross of the Mile High Area chapter has been sent to support the mass care and sheltering effort.
Gehrig Haberstock – the disaster program manager for northern Wyoming has been sent to support the mass care and sheltering effort.
Additional Information
- On Sunday night, more than 420 people sought refuge in Red Cross and community shelters in Texas.
- Earlier in the weekend, more than 1,100 people had spent Friday night in 14 Red Cross and community shelters due to flooding.
- Red Cross workers are helping to reunite families through the Red Cross Safe and Well website and trained health volunteers are helping replace people’s medications and medical equipment in the shelters.
- Working with partners like the Texas Baptist Men, the Red Cross has served thousands of meals and is setting up a kitchen in Jefferson County with the capacity to serve 15,000 meals and snacks per day.
- Distribution of relief supplies and water is beginning in areas where floodwaters have gone down.
- As the water continues to subside, Red Cross disaster workers will be able to assess more areas for damage. So far, disaster workers have been able to complete more than 700 damage assessments, which found more than 360 homes with major damage.
Denver, Friday, September 20, 2019 – The American Red Cross of Colorado & Wyoming is sending volunteers to help those affected by the torrential rain that has caused widespread flooding in Texas.
The following Red Cross disaster responders are deploying to the Texas Gulf Coast as of Friday morning, Sept. 20, 2019. Updates to this information will be available on this blog so check back frequently.
Ron Hedrick – a volunteer with the Northern Colorado Red Cross, will serve in a leadership role as part of the Operations Management team for the disaster response.
Doran Keller – a volunteer with the Mile High Area Red Cross, will serve as the lead for logistics.
Mary Crawford – a volunteer with the Mile High Area Red Cross, will serve as a manager for staff services.
Carol Riddel – a volunteer with the Northern Colorado Red Cross, will support the effort to distribute emergency supplies.
Thea Wasche – a volunteer with the Southeastern Colorado Red Cross, will support the distribution of emergency supplies.
Bryan Hartman – a volunteer with the Mile High Area Red Cross, will serve as a supervisor at Red Cross shelters in the affected area.
Patricia Cook – a volunteer with the Western Colorado Red Cross, will serve as a member of the Disaster Health Services team.
Leslie Orser – a volunteer with the Western Colorado Red Cross, will serve as a member of the Disaster Mental Health team.
Summary
More than 36 inches of rain has fallen in the Texas Gulf Coast region prompting significant flooding and thousands of water rescues. The Red Cross has deployed hundreds of volunteers to the region and has opened shelters in multiple communities to support people and pets displaced from their homes. The Red Cross urges people in the affected area to heed local warnings and directives.
The Red Cross is working with local officials to determine what other help will be needed in the coming days. Anyone who needs a safe place to go should visit redcross.org to find the nearest shelter. That same information is available on our free Red Cross Emergency mobile app.
Red Cross shelters are open to everyone in need, regardless of race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, or citizenship status. All disaster assistance is free. We don’t require people to show any kind of identification to enter a shelter, just their name, and pre-disaster address.
How Can You Help?
Please do not collect used clothing or other items to be sent to the disaster area.
- The best way to help people affected by disasters and countless other crises by donating to support the Red Cross Disaster Relief effort.
- Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small.
- Visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS, or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
How Can I Find My Loved ones?
Visit www.redcross.org/safeandwell to register yourself or to search for someone.
More information is available on the Red Cross Texas Gulf Coast Facebook page: fb.com/RedCrossTXGC.