Red Cross Chat

– Post by Kami Watson Huyse, Red Cross Volunteer

Just like today, seven years ago it was a blue and sunny day in Arlington, VA., just minutes from the Pentagon, where I lived at the time. I couldn’t have imagined what would unfold that day.

Today, I live in Houston, and just like that day seven years ago, a storm is brewing just out of sight. Of course, this time it is Hurricane Ike that is bearing down, and once again, I have no idea what to expect over the next 48 hours.

Except for one thing.

I know that in the aftermath of the storm, the Red Cross will be there.

My Personal Story

I have been a volunteer with the Red Cross for seven years today. This is my anniversary.

At the time that American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon, I was at work as the Director of Communication for a trade association located just five miles away in Court House plaza in Arlington. We were already watching the tragedy unfold in New York, then suddenly it was unfolding right outside our own window.

We all went home that day and switched on our television sets, and in the process I wondered why I was sitting at home when all of my training as a communication professional could be pressed into use.

I got into my car and drove to the nearby Arlington Red Cross chapter and it turns out that it was a good thing I did. I lived inside the area that was cordoned off, and many long-time volunteers couldn’t even get into the area that day.

I spent the day and night working on in-kind donations, like getting food for volunteers, emergency personnel and family members that were working and waiting for news near the Pentagon.

Since then, I have served on numerous disasters with the Red Cross, including a major flood in San Antonio, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and dozens of house and apartment fires. I have also taught the Public Affairs 101 course to train others to be ready.

People Want to Help

I think it is a natural reaction to do something to help others when faced with a large-scale emergency. For instance, this hurricane season, Andy Carvin, National Public Radio’s senior product manager for online communities, has done his part by putting together a Wiki with resources for those affected by storms this season at www.hurricanewiki.org. My client Network Solutions has provided the hosting and the domain names and dozens of volunteers have organized themselves to help set it up.

While this resource is a wonderful addition to the mix, the Red Cross will be the largest organization to deliver immediate emergency assistance to those people affected in the hurricane zone.

And it costs a lot of money to do it.

Each storm, like the still-forming monster Ike that is headed my way right now, sets the organization back about $50 million. That is to deliver shelter, water, food, and other immediate needs like clothing, prescription medication and eyeglasses. Things that people find themselves lacking when they are forced out of their homes.

And of course, the Red Cross needs trained volunteers to help deliver all of this aid. If you have the time and the proximity, maybe you will discover the great joy of serving the community, or of seeing the relief in someone’s eyes when you help meet their needs.

Those of us standing in the path of this storm, and those that will face them in the future, are counting on you.

Kami Watson Huyse, APR, is a long-time Red Cross volunteer at both the national level and in San Antonio. She is a recent transplant to Houston and is the Principal of My PR Pro and blogs at Communication Overtones about marketing and public relations.