Local hurricane relief volunteer working in shelter
Red Cross dispatches 115 from region so far to Texas, Louisiana
The Red Cross Greater Chesapeake Region is sending more volunteers to help with local disaster relief efforts in Texas and Louisiana as Hurricane Harvey sets records in bringing more than 50 inches of rain in certain areas along with devastating flooding to the region.
As of Wednesday, 115 volunteers from the area have been sent on a two-week deployment to Texas and Louisiana, said Jason Marshall, the organization’s Southern Maryland director. More volunteers, including himself, are still standing by, waiting to go on deployment.
Gloria Della of is one of the many volunteers dispatched to Texas. Della, a legislative analyst living in Calvert, grew up about 30 minutes outside of New
Orleans.
When Hurricane Katrina devastated that area 12 years ago, she volunteered with Red Cross near New Orleans for four weeks.
“Katrina was probably more devastating,” Della said Tuesday. But “for individuals, it’s [nevertheless] very personal and devastating.”
Originally planning to go to Houston on Friday, Della ended up in La Grange, Texas, a small town with a population of about 4,700 between Austin and Houston.
Like many places in Texas, La Grange was heavily flooded by the rain, which also caused the nearby Colorado River to overflow, exacerbating the situation.
When it rained, Della said, “it was like a sheet of water with the wind pushing it.”
During her time in La Grange, she worked at a makeshift shelter in a community center of a local church as a shelter manager. Her shelter hosted a flow of residents who came and left, ranging from 40 to 70 people depending on the time and day.
Her job was mainly to “do whatever you do to get people what they
need,” she said.
On Tuesday, Della said the rain stopped and the sun came out. Some people left to check damage at their homes.
While she was there, Della said she saw “strange things,” like a horse being rescued and families on their way to Dallas with their entire possessions.
“These people had packed up everything they had,” only to end up being stuck in between, she said.
One of the shelter seekers who came along with her family was a girl named Anne. Della estimated her to be about 5 years old, and she was
helping Della to maintain control of the children and organizing activities in the shelter.
“A shelter is like a small, cosmopolitan environment,” Della said, noting people offer their skills to meet the needs in the moment.
While she was in La Grange, Della slept in a cot in the shelter. Each cot had about 20 feet of space in between.
“It’s like being in a big basketball court where you are sleeping over, except that people are thinking about what are they going to do when they leave here,” she said.
For her, Della said there’s nothing like the
feeling of helping others, not only to offer temporary, physical relief but also emotional support, during the worst days of their lives.
Other than volunteers, Marshall said the regional chapter also sent three emergency response vehicles to Texas. The vehicles are loaded with trained volunteers, foods and other supplies, functioning like mobile food trucks, he said.
While some volunteers are on deployment, Marshall said the local chapters could use some help filling local needs.
Other than responding to natural disasters like Hurricane Harvey, Red Cross offers emergency hotel stays, food and clothing for those who are displaced as a result of natural or manmade disasters such as floods, house fires, hazardous material spills and car accidents.
For those interested in volunteering locally, Marshall suggests people contact the Southern Maryland Chapter’s Volunteer Specialist Gloria Coliton at 410-624-2013 or gloria. coliton@redcross.org.
People can also help those affected by Hurricane Harvey by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED-CROSS or texting HARVEY to 90999 to make a $10 donation.