Santa Monicans giddy up to aid the Sunshine State
By PAM WIGHT Special to the Daily Press
Bound for the disaster-ridden state of Florida, a local writer, a truck driver and a volunteer coor-dinator left Wednesday for three weeks to assist the ill-fated victims of hurricanes Charlie, Frances and Ivan.
The Santa Monicans are volunteer members of the local Red Cross chapter, one of dozens of chapters sent to respond to the latest disaster area.
Christy Courtemanche, 37, used to drive trucks for UPS and spent time in Kosovo as a disaster-relief volunteer. As a member of the “mass care” segment of the project, she will most likely be assigned to drive the urban response vehicles in Florida, which are able to traverse the terrain of debris-strewn disaster areas to reach victims. She’ll also deliver supplies and food from the shipping area to shelters. Toby Book, 32, is a writer who has volunteered at the Santa Monica chapter of the Red Cross since 1994. He was sent as part of the Red Cross’s Disaster Action Team. Volunteer Coordinator Jerry Washington, 39, is the only Red Cross employee of the group.
The volunteers first flew to the staging area in Atlanta, Ga. where they will be assigned to specific areas of Florida, depending on the greatest need. Volunteers are rotated out about every three weeks.
“The Red Cross sends volunteers from all over the place and creates this little city with all of the different functions and levels of administration,” said Tom Viscount, director of resource development and communication for the Santa Monica chapter. “It’s really is an enormous effort.”
They will join thousands of other Red Cross volunteers from around the country in what can only be called a multifaceted and comprehensive project. Volunteers first assess a person’s need and then organize the appropriate assistance. They provide mental health counseling and family services, deliver food, oversee shelters, coordinate supply delivery, and a plethora of other services.
“We also provide child care for those who must or can still go to work,”
Viscount said. “We even make sure they’re up in time to get to work.”
More than 100 years ago, the Red Cross made a commitment to Congress to be the “civilian response to disaster.” But Viscount makes clear that the Red Cross is not a government agency and receives no federal funds. All funding is provided through donations from supporters.
“We have a deficit from the hurricanes — and we need probably $50 to $60 million to cover all three of the Florida storms and their aftermath,” Viscount said.
Viscount has ample experience in disaster-relief work. He was part of the effort to help the victims of Sept. 11, the Malibu fires, and the Northridge earthquake, among others.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 18, 2004. Read the original PDF.