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
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 3,000-Mile Journey to Help the Victims of Irma
By Gordon Williams It was 9:30 on a Monday night--barely 48 hours after Hurricane Irma ravaged Florida--when the phone rang in the Everson, WA home of Dale and Audrey Snapper. Everson is only a few miles from Bellingham--headquarters of the Northwest Washington chapter of the American Red Cross. Would the Snappers be willing to drive … Continue reading A 3,000-Mile Journey to Help the Victims of Irma
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
How the Red Cross Manages America’s Blood Supply
by Gordon Williams Pictures by Gordon Williams The Red Cross relies on many skills in carrying out its mission: disaster responders and first aid teachers, mass care workers and water safety instructors. But did you know that in fulfilling one critical element of its mission, the Red Cross relies on trained medical technicians known as … Continue reading How the Red Cross Manages America’s Blood Supply
When Every Second Counts
by Gordon Williams Visit just one fire scene, work your way through one burned-out dwelling, and you’ll understand why every second counts when a home catches fire. Until you see it first-hand, you can't imagine the devastation a fire can cause. A fire doubles in size every 30 seconds. As it spreads, it consumes … Continue reading When Every Second Counts
Best Friends–Now Red Cross Teammates
By Sara Shager Photos by Betsy Robertson American Red Cross volunteers Linda Strong and Betty Jackson have been associated with the Greater Inland Northwest Chapter in Wenatchee for three years this fall. “It’s so heartwarming to help the people who have just lived through a disaster,” says Betty. “The volunteer work we do with the … Continue reading Best Friends–Now Red Cross Teammates
Keep pets healthy when it’s smoky outside
Originally posted in August of 2017, the story is even more relevant today. Photo credit: Jen Blackwood, Seattle WA, September 14, 2020 By Gordon Williams We certainly love our pets: How else to explain why Americans own an estimated 78 million dogs and 86* million cats. [edited in 2024 to note that according to the … Continue reading Keep pets healthy when it’s smoky outside
Building a Radio System to Keep the Red Cross in Touch
By Gordon Williams When disaster strikes, nothing is more important to keeping all responders functioning as a team than solid, dependable radio communications. When disaster threatens to disrupt conventional means of communication as cell phones and landlines--as a Cascadia event might do--the need for a high-quality radio network becomes downright critical. In preparation for a … Continue reading Building a Radio System to Keep the Red Cross in Touch
American Red Cross NW Region 