A Red Cross DAT Volunteer responds to a multi-unit home fire By Gordon Williams American Red Cross chapters serve their communities in many ways — from teaching CPR and first aid to keeping hospitals stocked with human blood. But nowhere is the contact more hands on and personal than the aid Red Cross volunteers deliver to disaster … Continue reading How the Red Cross helps – when help is needed most
Why I Volunteer: Disaster Action Team Supervisor John McNamara
Volunteer John McNamara from his home in Pullman, WA By Jennifer Astion "We are dealing with several houses with trees on them today," said Red Cross volunteer John McNamara when I spoke with him during a windstorm in mid-January 2021. He is a Disaster Action Team (DAT) Supervisor for the eastern part of the Greater Inland Northwest … Continue reading Why I Volunteer: Disaster Action Team Supervisor John McNamara
Why I Volunteer: Debbie Lutskas
Debbie Lutskas, Disaster Volunteer extraordinaire, from her home in Moses Lake, WA By Gordon Williams There are American Red Cross volunteers who have deployed to disaster scenes three or four or even a dozen times over the years. And then there is Debbie Lutskas of Moses Lake WA who has deployed 38 times since she … Continue reading Why I Volunteer: Debbie Lutskas
How to build a disaster-proof home survival kit
By Gordon Williams A crucial element of preparedness is having enough emergency supplies on hand to get you through a disaster. And while the risk of wildfires is waning, colder weather increases the risk of winter storms and home fires. But exactly what items should be in your emergency stockpile? What constitutes a disaster-proof home … Continue reading How to build a disaster-proof home survival kit
Red Cross reunites father and daughter after wildfires
Enjoli Graham and a furry family member. September 2020 By Gordon Williams Enjoli Graham was safely housed in a Red Cross shelter in Wenatchee, WA after escaping the fast-moving Cold Creek wildfire. Now she anxiously awaited word about the well-being of her father, Darrell. Darrell lived close to where wildfires were burning, and he was … Continue reading Red Cross reunites father and daughter after wildfires
Regional Executive tours WA Wildfire Country
Ryan Rodin (left) and Alex Dieffenbach (right) deliver Disaster Emergency Supplies to Malden, WA By Gordon Williams Alex Dieffenbach, chief executive officer of the Red Cross Northwest Region, saw first-hand the severity and scale of damage in Malden WA — a tiny farming town near Spokane that lost everything to wildfire. The town hall, police … Continue reading Regional Executive tours WA Wildfire Country
In their darkest moments, they uplifted others
Flowers, candles and signs decorate the outside of La Milpa restaurant in Brewster, WA on September 12, 2020. By Patricia Friedman, NWWA Red Cross Volunteer The patriarch of La Milpa Restaurant and Grocery, Ernesto Santos, was a well-respected community man who always helped others, I was told. So it came as no surprise that on … Continue reading In their darkest moments, they uplifted others
Father and son watch flames engulf family orchard
Charred fruit still hangs from branches on the Lynn Family Farm after wildfire swept through the area. September 14, 2020 By Mark Walker Benjamin Lynn and son Ryder were forced off their family farm last week when wildfire flames jumped the Columbia River near Bridgeport, WA. The conflagration from the more than 270,000-acre Pearl Fire … Continue reading Father and son watch flames engulf family orchard
How Stella Astry’s family escaped the flames
Stella Astry and her grandchildren, David and Bailey. September 14, 2020. Photo by: Ray Lapine By Gordon Williams The first warning Stella Astry had that the Graham WA fire was heading her way was a shouted warning from a nephew who was camped out on her property. The fire had brought down a power pole, … Continue reading How Stella Astry’s family escaped the flames
Red Cross + Salvation Army team up to feed evacuees in Puyallup
Shelter Manager Rich Simmons accepts a delivery of food and supplies from the Salvation Army. September 2020 By Ray Lapine Salvation Army Captain John Kelly is Deborah Veltry's hero. Veltry is the Red Cross volunteer in charge of finding meals for Red Cross shelters and Kelley had agreed that the Salvation Army's Puyallup kitchen would … Continue reading Red Cross + Salvation Army team up to feed evacuees in Puyallup
American Red Cross NW Region 