Wyoming Volunteers Provide Support to Louisiana Chapter During Hurricane Ida.
By Mariama FoFana, American Red Cross Public Affairs
Since August 26th, the American Red Cross has been in Louisiana providing care and comfort to those affected by Hurricane Ida. More than 31,000 trained disaster workers have supported relief efforts in person or virtually. Among those deployed were volunteers and employees from the Red Cross of Wyoming.
When Janet Lewis, the Executive Director of the Red Cross of Wyoming, was asked if she’d consider deploying to Louisiana after Hurricane Ida, she was nervous. However, knowing she was needed, Lewis pushed aside all anxiety and embarked on her first deployment as an elected officials liaison.
“I was anxious to see what it was like and how we help people in such a terrible calamity as a hurricane,” Lewis said.
Lewis first landed in Baton Rouge, where she spent two days before heading to New Orleans. From September 15th to the 29th, she spent her mornings on the phone with elected officials and community leaders and her afternoons evaluating living conditions in communities.
“Were kids in school? Was the mail being delivered? Was there food in grocery stores, were grocery stores even open? Were roads passable? Was there electricity? Those are the kind of things I looked at,” she said.
Lewis has been employed with the Red Cross for over nine months now. Her decision to join the organization was based on her connection to the Red Cross’s mission to alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies, regardless of a person’s background.
Throughout the Hurricane Ida response, the Red Cross provided 828,200 meals and snacks and 413,000 overnight shelter stays with assistance from partners. 303,000 relief items were distributed and over 26,000 personal care contacts were established.
An essential hub of activity during any emergency response takes place at the Emergency Operation Center (EOC). Multi agency emergency responders at the EOC respond to requests from parishes and direct them to the appropriate responders.
Gilbert Nelson, a Wyoming Red Cross volunteer since 2018, served as a Red Cross Emergency Operation Manager at the Louisiana State EOC. On August 27th, Nelson began his deployment. After starting with a 24-hour shift, Nelson worked a series of 12-hour shifts until the end of his deployment on September 8th.
“I wanted the experience to deploy and help other people,” Nelson said. “Plus, that gives me more training for my job as an emergency manager as well.”
Nelson has worked in emergency services since 1998. Over the years, he served as a volunteer fireman and as an emergency manager for Weston County in Wyoming. He first joined the Red Cross as a Disaster Action Team responder, then proceeded to train in other areas in hope of responding to a broader range of disasters and bring relief to even more people.
Before his deployment in Louisiana, Nelson responded to other emergencies by deploying virtually. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the Red Cross has utilized virtual deployment as a way to help those in need, while following CDC’s guidelines.
“Disasters don’t take a break for pandemics, so Red Crossers have learned to navigate in the new COVID world,” said Pat Kondas, a Wyoming Red Cross volunteer since 2008.
Kondas is currently supporting the Red Cross’s work in Louisiana from her home in Wyoming. She believes that virtual deployments are an efficient way to deploy for volunteers who cannot physically travel. She serves as the contact person between parishes and responders and records requests while ensuring the appropriate responders receive them.
“I would never have thought of doing this many deployments,” she said. “If I was deployed physically, I would have done two, maybe three a year.”
Throughout her time with the Red Cross, Kondas has worked on 23 different disaster response operations. Hurricane Ida marks her 12th virtual deployment since May 2020. While she misses the human interactions and connections formed during physical deployment, Kondas is grateful she can help those in need remotely through technology. While she acknowledges that there will always be a need for people on the ground, Kondas believes that continuing virtual deployment could be an excellent way for the Red Cross to get even more volunteers to respond to disasters.
“Deploying virtually means no plane tickets and no hotel costs, which amounts to a considerable savings for the Red Cross,” she added.
Nearly two months since Hurricane Ida, The Red Cross continues to provide aid to communities in affected areas. To learn more about Hurricane Ida response and ways to support volunteers’ work, click here.