Humanitarian at Heart: At the age of 15 I went on my first humanitarian trip to Romania; followed by 5 more throughout high school and just after. I found that I had a true passion for humanitarian aid/disaster relief and wanted to do more of it. I joined the Red Cross in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina … Continue reading Why I Volunteer: Tanya Puente
Why Patrick Panlasigui Volunteers
By Gordon Williams Hurricane Harvey deployment to a shelter in Houston, TX proved a personally rewarding experience for Red Cross volunteer Patrick Panlasigui, of Federal Way, WA. Patrick says it also proved an educational experience - teaching him lessons and sharpening skills he is already finding valuable in his job as a research coordinator at … Continue reading Why Patrick Panlasigui Volunteers
Volunteer Returns to his Roots to Survey Harvey’s Damage
By Dale Steinke Technology, including a new phone app, helped Walla Walla retiree William “Bill” Herrington and his fellow American Red Cross volunteers complete numerous home damage assessments and find their way around the Texas Gulf Coast to support Hurricane Harvey relief. Herrington, an upper Texas Gulf Coast native, became a volunteer last December with … Continue reading Volunteer Returns to his Roots to Survey Harvey’s Damage
Helping to Heal the Emotional Scars of Hurricane Harvey
By Gordon Williams The task of most Red Cross volunteers in a disaster zone is to provide victims with food, water and shelter. The task of volunteer Ginger Van Ry in a disaster zone is to provide skilled emotional support to victims whose response to disaster can range from stoic acceptance to deep, crippling depression. … Continue reading Helping to Heal the Emotional Scars of Hurricane Harvey
How the Red Cross tends to Spiritual and Physical Needs
By Gordon Williams Pictures by Tim Serban Most disaster victims need more than just a meal and a safe place to sleep, says Portland, OR based Red Cross service area leader Tim Serban. They also need emotional and spiritual support to help them get through an ordeal that threatens to tear their lives apart. … Continue reading How the Red Cross tends to Spiritual and Physical Needs
Feeding Storm Victims in a Small Texas Town
By Gordon Williams Pictures by Norman Bottenberg Some Red Cross volunteers, now aiding hurricane victims in Texas or Florida, can date their first deployment to Superstorm Sandy in 2012. For others the first deployment was to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. For Norm Bottenberg, of Sammamish WA, the first deployment was the eruption of Mount St. … Continue reading Feeding Storm Victims in a Small Texas Town
A Long Trek from the Northwest to Help Hurricane Victims
By Gordon Williams Published on September 11, 2017 Key West, Florida is 2,722 miles from Seattle--about as far apart as two cities in the continental United States can be. Yet that distance proved to be no obstacle when volunteers from the Northwest Region joined the army of Red Cross workers heading south to help the … Continue reading A Long Trek from the Northwest to Help Hurricane Victims
These Maps Sharpen our Hurricane Response
By Gordon Williams The value of a map lays in its ability to deliver heaps of information to the user with just a glance: Distance, terrain, points of interest, population density and what the surrounding countryside is like. The American Red Cross is making use of very advanced types of maps, called WebMAPs, in its response … Continue reading These Maps Sharpen our Hurricane Response
American Red Cross NW Region 