By Cory Russell
I just returned from Louisiana where I was volunteering for the American Red Cross before, during and after Hurricane Gustav blew through. I was deployed from the Santa Monica Red Cross along with four other chapter volunteers to go in early and help set up shelters and emergency supplies for the oncoming army of evacuees from the Gulf Coast, including New Orleans.
Even though most of the media has said Louisiana “dodged the bullet," it is a far cry from dodging a bullet. After the largest evacuations in this nation’s history, many citizens returned home to trees fallen on their homes and rooftops missing, they came back and we welcomed them with open arms to the parish. Some were able to recover an armload of belongings, some weren’t so fortunate, but all came to the Red Cross for comfort.
Over 70 people were registered in less than 45 minutes and were instantly brought into a large family of families, bachelors and senior citizens. I ensured I provided a safe environment for everyone to enjoy. The food (heater meals and Meals Ready to Eat or MRE’s) weren’t the tastiest and cots weren’t the most comfortable place to get a decent rest, but speaking with everyone individually revealed to me they were feeling welcome inside our doors. The 20-hour days, missing the youth volunteers of Santa Monica and not being able to be home, seemed so trivial to me. I needed to be with these people.
Taking the time to color pictures of Tigger from Disney’s Winnie The Pooh with the children, playing with the toddlers and shaking every single person’s hand that slept in a cot, was a life changing experience. Sure these people don’t have a roof over their heads, some of the children didn’t even have the proper footwear anymore, but I was always greeted with a smile in the morning. In a stressful and difficult time, it is an empowering feeling to know that I can deliver a smile with only basic services to another human being.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 22, 2008. Read the original PDF.