Hope in times of tragedy
We meet two amazing Red Cross volunteers who offer care and compassion to victims of tragedy at home and abroad
For the past 11 years, Linda Cameron has spent months at a time with her bags packed. As a British Red Cross emergency volunteer, she could receive a phone call at any time asking her to attend a disaster anywhere in the world where she’ll provide support to people facing one the most traumatic times of their life. Linda, pictured below, who’s a retired psychotherapist, first signed up to the Red Cross as a support volunteer, deciding she wanted to use her skills to help those facing tragedy. Linda was there to help in 2010 when the Madeira Floods killed 42 people and in 2015 when a disastrous earthquake killed 9,000 and injured 22,000 people in Nepal.
“The first thing we do when we arrive in a disaster zone is draw breath as it can be a very chaotic situation,” says Linda (65). “We work with the Rapid Deployment Team from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to plan where we’re going to be most useful. This is often to work with British nationals involved in the crisis who are in shock, bereaved, disorientated and distressed.
“Our job isn’t to provide counselling as that’s not appropriate early on, but to show kind actions. We also make sure they’ve got food and other essentials and are able to contact loved ones at home. Sometimes, however, it’s a case of just sitting with someone and listening to them, reassuring them that the emotions they’re feeling are completely normal and being a calm presence in the middle of the chaos.
“I use some of the skills I have as a counsellor but I don’t do any therapy – it’s just about being alongside someone so they know they’re not alone.”
During the Nepal earthquakes in 2015, Linda was based at the British Embassy in Kathmandu, mainly helping people who’d been trekking in the mountains when the earthquake struck. “Many of them had had a traumatic journey finding their way back to the capital when the earthquake happened and
were distressed by the things they’d seen. A lot were young people who’d been travelling the world, too, and we had to help them make the decision whether to go home or carry on with their travels.”
As well as the Nepal earthquake, Linda also recently supported child refugees fleeing violence in their home country as they travelled to the UK from Calais. “Being able to bring support was very moving as the children were very scared, disorientated and uncertain of their future.” Dealing with such emotional situations
‘One moment you’re sitting at home in front of the television and the next you’re in a disaster zone’
obviously comes with its own challenges for the volunteers, but Linda says the hardest thing is how fast everything moves. “One minute you’re sitting at home in front of the TV and then you’re in a disaster zone. You have to be resilient and quick to adapt. Then when you come home you have to take time to process everything as it can be overwhelming to be back.”
But Linda says it’s worth it for the help she can give people when they’re in a moment of need. “I love what I do – it’s so rewarding. It’s amazing what a big difference a small gesture such as a cup of tea, or a kind word, can have on someone who’s scared and feeling alone. They always remember that and it helps enormously with their recovery.“