American Red Cross Disaster Newsroom

By Bruce Newton and Judy sperling-Newton

James Goodman has been a Red Cross Volunteer in the Murfreesboro Chapter since 2007. A disabled veteran, injured in Desert Storm in 1991, James, who can stand for very brief periods of time, but uses a specialized wheelchair to get around, does not let his disabilities limit his ability to contribute to the wellbeing of others.

James was deployed by his chapter to assist the victims of the recent Pennsylvania floods by working as a member of a three-person team driving and dispensing food from a Red Cross emergency response vehicle. James uses custom-made ramps to get his wheelchair into and out of the vehicle, and he performs all the functions necessary to provide service to the clients. James rises an hour early each day to have time to soak in a bath of hot water to make sure his body is ready for the 12 to 14 hour days he puts in to serve the people in need.

At the local level, James worked as a shelter manager in the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav in Nashville in 2008, and he has also provided disaster assessment services when needed. On a daily basis, James is considered critical to the operation of his chapter. He is the Disaster Action Captain Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm and one week each month from 5pm to 8 am every evening and all day on weekends and holidays. In this role, he leads a team of volunteers who respond at any time of the day or night to assist victims of local disasters, mostly single family home fires. He and his team members provide financial assistance to help replace food, clothing, and shoes lost in the fire and assist fire victims with short-term lodging. They also make referrals to Red Cross nurses and mental health professionals when appropriate and to partner agencies in the community.

James assists the families of service members as the chapter caseworker for the Services to Armed Forces Committee which covers eight counties. James is also an instructor, teaching classes in disaster relief for Red Cross volunteers. He says that “being able to volunteer with the Red Cross gives me a real sense of purpose.”

When asked about how he has been treated by the Red Cross, James says, “Everyone has been open and accepting; they have offered every applicable accommodation to support me as a volunteer.” He was encouraged to take the courses necessary to obtain his emergency response vehicle certification, and he is permitted to pull his wheelchair on a trailer behind the vehicle when he goes out on calls.

James has been at work in Pennsylvania since September 11. Jim Kuhlmann, a retired physician who is a Mass Care Feeding Manager, says of James, “He is a great addition to our team. He is enthusiastic, upbeat, and completes all tasks without supervision. James always offers to do more than is required.”

Brian Toll, the Emergency Services Director at the Murfreesboro Chapter, considers James to be “indispensable.” He is the most active volunteer they have. Brian says, “If something needs to be done, you give it to James, and he takes care of it. I don’t want to think about what we would do if he stopped showing up; he keeps us looking forward, working to make things better. James is well respected, not only at the chapter, but in the region. He is a humble guy, but his work speaks volumes.” Brian calls James a “workhorse.” He goes onto say, “I know there are some who have perceptions about people with disabilities, but there is nothing James can’t do. Anyone with disabilities who would like to volunteer in our chapter is very welcome.”

So what advice does James give to people with disabilities? He says, “Don’t hesitate. Go to your local or regional chapter and volunteer. Regardless of your disability, there is a job you can do at the American Red Cross.” And with James as an example, who could say this isn’t true?

This story is written by Red Cross worker Allen Crabtree.

Red Cross shelter worker Jon Pettit listens to Chuck Chittenden tell how he had to be rescued when Tropical Storm Irene flooding caused the Saco River to overflow, inundating homes and blocking roads.

“When the Saco River overflowed its banks during Tropical Storm Irene it flooded the Transvale Acres neighborhood,” said Cheryl Johnston, Red Cross shelter manager in Conway, NH. “The water came up very fast, over five feet, and many residents were trapped in their homes.”

Conway Fire Department Chief Steve Solomon said that his department evacuated twenty-two people by rescue boat from the neighborhood on Sunday night, August 28, 2011.

One of those evacuated was Chuck Chittenden who lived in a trailer at 234 Transvale Road. He normally works the night shift at nearby Cumberland Farms, but had the night off Sunday.

“I was catching up on my sleep when my landlord started hammering on my door to wake me up and hollered to ‘get out – the river is flooding!’” he said. “I walked out on my deck and it was bobbing up and down like it was a raft, and when I stepped off I was in water up to my waist. Luckily the fire department rescue boat came along and saved me.” He said that flood waters picked up his trailer and smashed it against a tree. “I’ve lived there three years, and have no insurance. I don’t know what I am going to do,” he said.

The Fire Department paramedics examined his badly bruised ankle that Chittenden had injured when he fell off his porch, and then transported him to the hospital. From there he was released and came to the Red Cross shelter that was opened at the Conway Recreation Center in Center Conway.

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This story is written by Red Cross volunteer Allen Crabtree.

“We’ve been assigned to the area southeast of Rutland, around Shrewsbury and East Wallingford,” said Richard Mah to his partner Dan Harrell. He continued, “We’re to load up ERV 1099 with cleaning supplies, water and snacks to bring around to the neighborhoods where people are starting to clean up after the floods.” Mah and Harrell are American Red Cross volunteers from Indiana who have been deployed to Rutland, Vermont to assist in the disaster relief effort underway following Tropical Storm Irene’s passage through the state. They have been driving a Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV) through the storm-impacted areas delivering food, cleanup supplies, and comforting words to residents.

Today they are assigned ERV number 1099, a vehicle deployed from the Vermont and New Hampshire Valley Red Cross Chapter in Burlington, Vermont. Also on the job in Vermont are other ERVs deployed from other chapters around the country, as well as rental trucks to supplement the ERV fleet.

First stop for Mah and Harrell was the Red Cross warehouse near Rutland. Typical of most travel in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Irene that washed out hundreds of roads and bridges around the state, travel to the warehouse involves a long detour around a washed-out bridge on Route 7 south of Rutland. Once at the warehouse the pair selected supplies that they anticipated would help residents cleaning up after flooding – pairs of sturdy work gloves, shovels and flashlights, paper towels and bleach, snacks and duct tape, cleanup kits and comfort kits, pallets of water and sandwiches. Everything was loaded into the back of the ERV and carefully secured.

Mah and Harrell had some general directions from Red Cross damage assessment teams who had been through these towns and neighborhoods before, but needed more specific information on neighborhoods flooded and roads closed.

They stopped first at the Shrewsbury Town Offices and met with Town Clerk Mark Goodwin. Goodwin showed them on detailed maps the roads, bridges, and neighborhoods that had been affected by the storm. Mah and Harrell then slowly and carefully made the circuit of roads, stopping to offer supplies and an encouraging word to residents and to town road crews working on the roads. They made a similar visit to the postmistress at the East Wallingford post office in the next town over.

“We came across a number of residents working at their homes as we drove the roads, and gave out our cleaning supplies and water to help them in their efforts,” said Mah. “We were able to return to Rutland with our ERV nearly empty, which is what we try to do. “ He added “Cleanup supplies sitting in the warehouse don’t do anyone any good – our job on the ERV is to get these supplies to the people that need them, when they need them.”

This story is written by Red Cross volunteer Allen Crabtree.

There are thousands of tasks needing accomplishing during a Red Cross disaster relief operation, and willing hands to get them done are always welcome. When Tiffany Sargent, the Director of the Alliance for Civic Engagement at Middlebury College, called and asked if the Red Cross could use nine college students to lend a hand to the relief effort. Red Cross volunteer coordinator Doris West, in Rutland, had a ready response.

“Yes, we certainly can use some help,” West said. “And I have just the job for them.” She explained that the Red Cross had recently closed down the emergency shelter at the Rutland High School. During Tropical Storm Irene it had housed about 30 people taking refuge from the flooding and high winds. The cots and other material from the shelter had to be cleaned and then repacked in a disaster response trailer for the next time needed. “There about 100 cots that will need to be cleaned from the shelter,” West explained. “Is this something that your students would be interested in helping us with?”

It was, and the students were soon on their way to Rutland from Middlebury to help out.

Middlebury College has a long history of community service and was recognized on May 12, 2011, as part of the 2010 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction by the Corporation for National and Community Service. Middlebury College partners with numerous schools and educational organizations in the area and assists them in their program needs through active Middlebury College student volunteers. There is a tradition of community service by several different groups on the Middlebury College campus. Altogether, students volunteered 45,000 hours of time doing service projects last year.

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This story was written by Red Cross worker Marvin Fonseca.

Brothers Isaiah, Franky and Noel stayed at the Nassau Community Center shelter in Long Island, New York and became spontaneous volunteers for the Red Cross.

Nancy Santiago said she went through the experience of a lifetime at the Nassau Community Center shelter, which was operated by the American Red Cross when Hurricane Irene hit between August 26 and 29.

“First of all, I’m thankful for the hospitality of the American Red Cross, and second, I was deeply moved to find out that my children wanted to become volunteers,” Santiago added.

“I am very proud of the desire to give and help that my children Isaiah, Franky and Noel displayed in becoming spontaneous volunteers. All three became Red Cross volunteers because they are very kind, have big hearts and like to help others.”

Santiago, who had surgery shortly before arriving at the shelter, says that her children, upon seeing so many people at the shelter, understood that the emergency was real and decided to help out.

“I’m impressed and touched by their decision. They simply got up and became volunteers. Suddenly I saw Isaiah helping an elderly person in a wheelchair, Franky offering water to some people, and Noel handing out blankets,” commented Santiago, who was still in pain from the surgery.

”When we return home to Long Beach we will become volunteers. This has been an amazing experience for the entire family. Other young people simply would have stayed there sitting next to their parents waiting to be taken care of, but mine took action without being asked, something to admire; as a mom, I found it very moving,” said Santiago, mother of six.

She also stated, “I give the Red Cross an A for the great job it’s doing to help people in this emergency. When help was most needed, the Red Cross was there for us. It’s my first time at a shelter and it’s been a good experience, especially because of how well the Red Cross took care of us.”