Are you feeling nervous about deploying to a disaster with the American Red Cross?
Here’s one volunteer’s experience to help ease your worries.
This past March, Lisa Harrold raised her hand to deploy for two weeks to support evacuees after severe flooding near the river had forced many to evacuate in Tulare County. This assignment would be in her own backyard. She was one of several local Central Valley volunteers who found themselves officially deploying for the first time with the Red Cross.
Harrold had been volunteering with the Red Cross for about two years when the opportunity came for her and her husband to respond to a disaster that hit close to home. Although Lisa had been looking forward to this opportunity after retiring from healthcare, she still found herself worrying about what she might expect during her first deployment. It was a disaster after all.
“The focus on kindness and compassion set the tone for everyone… we all cared for each other.”
On that very first stressful day of her deployment, she met a couple who had been evacuated from near the river that positively impacted her life. She watched them navigate the difficult situation they found themselves in, but most importantly she watched them go to work to help others in their situation. They consistently went out of their way to help volunteers and other evacuees, even in the face of their own disaster.
“You’re never on your own, everyone is there to assist one another.”
Lisa faced various challenges, but she never felt alone as she worked with other volunteers to find solutions to help others. One such challenge was the need for additional blankets, hygiene supplies and clothing for the shelter residents. Lisa and the team worked hard to obtain these supplies either by donations or local purchases to ensure that the residents had the necessary essentials to be comfortable.
With all her first-time deployment jitters out of the way, facing her last day at the shelter was emotional. She had become very close to one of the volunteers and several of the evacuees.
“These people were your life for two weeks and I had really come to care about them.”
Would Lisa deploy again, you ask?
Absolutely! Though some days were overwhelming, Lisa knew she would do it all over again to experience the joy of helping others and watching a community come together to support those in need.
If you’re interested in helping your community, like Lisa did, sign up to volunteer for the Red Cross.
Written by Alison Votaw, Communications Volunteer
Red Cross Central California Blog 