Red Cross Helps Two Manhattan Residents after 3-Alarm Blaze

Alexis Schroeder

By Elaine Biller, Greater NY Volunteer  

On Sept. 17, 2014 a massive 3-alarm fire raged through a Second Avenue apartment building in Midtown Manhattan. More than 140 firefighters were on hand to quench the blaze. Five Red Cross workers responded to help those affected, including Alexis Schroeder and her roommate.

For Alexis, this was just one more complication in an already complicated life.

She and her roommate, a friend from high school, had moved into their Midtown Manhattan apartment just four weeks earlier. Soon after the move, Alexis was struck by a taxi while jogging after work.

Since then, she’d been on leave from her job, juggling doctor’s appointments to treat a bulging disc in her back. As her pain subsided Alexis was looking forward to returning to her work in marketing in mid-October. 

The day of the fire, Alexis was walking home from her bank after clearing up some suspicious activity on a credit card. When she got to her street, she smelled smoke, then saw it billowing from her apartment window. Gripped by fear, Alexis relaxed only when she saw firefighters pull her roommate to safety through the dense black cloud.

The women watched as flames consumed their building. The fire left six apartments unlivable, with the top apartments severely damaged by smoke.

That evening a NYC firefighter and Red Cross volunteer Paul Allwright escorted Alexis and Colleen back to their apartment to retrieve anything they could salvage, especially documents and prescriptions.

Sadly, the apartment was unrecognizable. “There were no floors,” Alexis said. “My bedroom … everything was destroyed. My roommate's room was destroyed as well.”

The women were devastated by the sight and overwhelmed, not knowing where to begin. Paul guided them through those first few hours of shock and numbness.

“We weren't able to think about anything, about what to grab,” Alexis said. “I didn't have any money with me with my whole credit card situation. The Red Cross was there with things you don't even realize you need.”

Paul arranged temporary housing for the women for the days immediately after the fire and provided them with emergency funds for food, and so they could replace some clothing.  And he let them know the Red Cross would continue to be there for them in the days that followed; that they were not alone. He explained that Lilliam, their Red Cross caseworker, would continue to support them in numerous ways.

“Everyone's been really great,” Alexis said.

In the months since the fire, the women continue to rebuild their lives. For now they are staying with friends in the city on weekdays and with their families in New Jersey on weekends.

“The Red Cross generously helped us out,” Alexis said. “We really didn't know what type of help was provided by the Red Cross. We couldn't say nicer things about it.”

Manhattan Family Helped by Red Cross after Fire

After discovering flames shooting from a compactor room next to their lower Manhattan apartment on a Sunday night, Nellie Quiles and her parents fled down four flights of stairs. Once safely outside, they didn’t know what to do or where to go—until Nellie learned that they could receive help from the American Red Cross.

Quiles and her dad first took her mom, who is receiving home hospice care, to a hospital, where she received help. Daughter and father then returned to their apartment, to find it filled with mud and soot. The building manager showed Quiles a contact sheet left by the Red Cross. She called, and a Red Cross disaster responder was soon at their side.

“He checked the apartment out,” she said. “He gave us masks to wear because we couldn’t breathe. He brought cleaning supplies, which was so nice because you’re not thinking about things you’re going to need, like a sponge to clean stuff, because you don’t know what you have left. It was nice to have somebody come in and say, ‘We’re here. We’re gonna help you.’”  

The family received two nights of temporary housing from the Red Cross, as well as emotional support. “Someone listens to you and you get a good cry and get it off your shoulders,” Quiles said. “You don’t realize what a bed and taking a shower really means until you’re in the situation,” she added. “You feel like a human being again and that’s amazing.” 

Quiles was unaware that the Red Cross helped after home fires, even though the organization had been there for her family twice before. “After Sandy, the Red Cross came and checked on us and brought water,” she said. “And they helped us after 9/11.”

The family lives a few blocks from the World Trade Center. The day of the attacks, they left their apartment, returning that Friday.

“We came back and got the knock on the door from Red Cross,” Quiles remembered.

A Red Cross volunteer gave them water, a snack and a pamphlet with information about obtaining further assistance.

“That’s comforting,” Quiles said. “Especially in the city, people don’t really appreciate that there is a Red Cross you can go to. I think we think, ‘Oh, it just happens in other states.’ It’s not in Manhattan; it’s not in New York. And now I know that it is. And I’m very grateful for that.”

Red Cross Helps Williamsburg Families

U/D Brooklyn: *2 Alarm Fire* Box 0367 at 583 flushing Ave fire in a 4 story multiple dwelling is now under control. pic.twitter.com/qDbVt7pRHw
— NY Scanner (@NYScanner) September 16, 2014

A little more than a week before the observance of the Jewish High Holy Days, a 2-alarm fire displaced four families (10 adults 35 children) in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. On Sept. 16, the Red Cross provided emergency funds for basic necessities to two affected families and worked with a partner agency to arrange temporary housing at a Kosher hotel for them.

“A good deed for desperately needy families is a great mitzvah [act of kindness],” said Jewish community leader Isaac Sofer, in thanking the Red Cross.

The Red Cross stands ready to work with these families as needed to help with their longer-term needs.

Red Cross Help for Bronx Family

Yvette Carvajal and her Red Cross casworker, Lilliam Rivera-Cruz

by Caroline Hroncich

A relaxing day at the beach quickly took a turn for the worse for the Carvajal family. Forty-three year-old Yvette Carvajal had taken her two children, Jasmine, 10, and David, 15, to the beach on July 19, in celebration of Jasmine’s birthday, when she received a frantic phone call from a neighbor: Their Bronx apartment was on fire. Fortunately, the American Red Cross was there to provide assistance.   

When they got back to their Garfield Street home of seven years, Carvajal was shocked at the scene unfolding before her. The fire department was almost finished putting out the fire, and there was hardly anything left to recover.

“There was broken glass everywhere,” she said, “When I went to the back and saw the destruction in my room and my son’s room; that got me bad.” 

Carvajal said she felt lost, unsure of what she was going to do, and where she was going to stay. Then two Red Cross volunteers approached her.

“They comforted me,” Carvajal said. “They asked if I had a place to go. I told them I was going to stay in my car. The man said ‘We will get you a place to stay.’”

The Red Cross provided the Carvajal family with temporary housing close to their neighborhood. They also received emergency funds for new clothing, since they now had only their beach wear.

“I left my home fine,” Carvajal said, “and came back and find it was gone. My apartment was where we felt comfortable. That was my home.”

There is no doubt Yvette Carvajal’s strength allowed her to stay positive throughout this experience. Carvajal said her Red Cross caseworker, Lillian Rivera-Cruz, helped her to get access to the resources she and her two children need to move forward.

“Right now the Red Cross has given me hope, and is guiding me to the path I’m supposed to be on to start over,” she said. “I feel very thankful."

Greater NY Volunteer Deploys to North Carolina Floods

Long-time Red Cross volunteer Fred Leahy, who serves as Sr. Volunteer Partner to Red Cross Northeast Division Disaster Executive Tom Vitullo, is scheduled to travel tomorrow to North Carolina, where Red Cross is helping those affected by tornadoes. Fred will act as the Community Partnership Services Manager, helping to coordinate relief efforts between the Red Cross and its community partners.

Fred said, “This will be my 27th disaster response since Katrina. So I pretty well know what I am going to face. The destruction is always startling. But alleviating the human suffering is what I am really there for. I look forward to helping those affected by the severe weather begin to patch up their lives.”

Fred is just one of more than 500 American Red Cross volunteers who are providing comfort and hope across 11 states to help people affected by devastating floods and tornadoes. Read more.

 

Red Cross Helps Staten Island Family after Two-Alarm Fire

After a frantic call from her daughter, Sally DeVolt rushed home from work on a Friday afternoon to find that her apartment of 15 years had been destroyed in a fire.

Sally, a manager at a Staten Island diner, began to cry as she described what she saw.

“When I got home, it was not even home anymore,” she said. “There were so many firemen, so many fire trucks.”

She was thankful that her family — her son, her daughter-in-law, her daughter and her four grandchildren — all got out of the building safely. Because they fled with little more than the clothes on their backs, Red Cross disaster responders at the scene provided them with shoes, socks, tee-shirts, sweat suits and water.

“I did not know what the Red Cross did,” Sally said. “I’m so grateful.”

A few days later, Sally, who, with her family, was staying with neighbors, came to Greater NY Red Cross headquarters in Manhattan. A caseworker provided her with a debit card with funds for emergency food and clothing and information about next steps she could take for city housing, should the family require it.

“It’s a wonderful experience,” she said. “Because I had no idea all this help was out there. “I’m thankful to the Red Cross.”

#WhyIVolunteer: Diaster Responder Bob Cowert

Red Cross volunteer Bob Cowert, pictured above, lives in Nyack, N.Y., in Rockland County and owns a floor covering store in Congers, N.Y. He began volunteering with the Red Cross in 2005. He is currently captain of the Bronx Disaster Action Team (DAT), a team of volunteers that responds to home fires and other emergencies, providing compassionate assistance to those affected. Bob hopes the story of how and why he became a volunteer may motivate others to volunteer with the Red Cross.

Bob Cowert: Why I Volunteer

Without my knowing it, the sequence of events that culminated with my decision to become a Red Cross volunteer started with a phone call on a cold February day in 2005.

My wife, Lisa, received this call from Dr. Axtman, direct from a field hospital in Al Asad, Iraq. Dr. Axtman called to inform us that our son, a Marine Corps corporal, had collapsed while on a mission. He was very sick. The diagnosis was double pneumonia, which developed into sepsis, a very dangerous condition. The doctor explained that his condition was critical and, in a delicate, roundabout way, was preparing us for the worst.

Subsequent phone calls over the next few days informed us that Ken made it through the critical phase and would be airlifted home for recovery. I later found out from my tough-as-nails son that before going on this mission with his squad, he felt feverish and ill, but declined to say anything. He explained that they had a job to do, had trained for it, and all the members of the squad were needed for its success. A fever (it was pushing 105 when he collapsed and the field medic checked it) was no reason to stay behind.

Ken’s recovery at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland, and a month at home after that, passed quickly. The final follow-up visit at Bethesda was an interesting one. The doctor explained that due to the injury to his lungs and respiratory system, she was offering to sign papers that would keep him stateside for the duration of his enlistment.

He refused. It was important to him, no, it was mandatory, that he return to his unit in Iraq. His team was there and he intended to go back. No other options. Case closed. She cleared him for duty and he was going back to war.

As a father, this was a tough one. I was so very proud of Ken and at the same time scared beyond words. He returned to Iraq, completed his tour of duty and later that year came back to us healthy and intact. Upon his return, after all the celebration had subsided, I thought about the gift I had been given. My son: alive, unharmed, home safe.

I did not know what to do; I just knew that I had to do something. I needed to give, give back, to somehow say a meaningful “thank you.” What do I have? What can I share? All I knew was that it had to be personal. Certainly not money; having three children cured me of any excess in that department. The only possibility was me, my time.

I spoke to Rose Marie Fajardo at the (former) Red Cross office in Nyack and immediately decided to volunteer and become one of the people who actually do something rather than just talk or dream about doing something.

Now, almost eight years later, with hundreds of responses on my résumé, my motives for volunteering have come full circle.

My son’s actions and safe return opened the door for me, but now I consider my continuing involvement more selfish than anything else. Let me explain: I enjoy helping people.

I feel a sense of importance and accomplishment being in a position to provide assistance to those in need.

I volunteer with the most incredible people. Like minded, down-to-earth people who share my own views about what we do. Which is, in a nutshell: On a disaster of any scale, those affected are our mission! We push our own lives aside and concentrate on assisting this person or family in their time of distress.

I drive home after a shift in New York City and am always reminded that my own life's problems are inconsequential compared to the disaster-related outcomes caused by fire, flood, negligence and so many other causes.

The above paragraph has an excess of I’s ... which is why I use the word selfish. Certainly, volunteering is not about me, but about my fellow members of the human race, those in need.

I thank the Red Cross for giving me the opportunity to work on the front lines. I will continue to—hopefully—shine a light in a person's life during a time of darkness.

Bronx Woman Turns to Red Cross After Electrical Fire

Although Imeh Cuthbertson and her husband had had problems with the power in their Bronx apartment for some time (for example, if their bedroom light was on, their kitchen light was likely to be off, and vice versa), Imeh never expected those problems to escalate into a fire.

But in mid-December, that’s exactly what happened. Imeh, who emigrated from Liberia in 2004 and works nights as a security guard in Queens, and her husband, who came to the States from Nigeria somewhat earlier, went out to an early appointment at 6 am.

When they returned a few hours later, they received a shock: Their street was filled with people and police, and their apartment had been destroyed by an electrical fire.

“I couldn’t take anything out of my house. It was all burnt," she said. "All that I sweat for, all that I worked for!” She despaired, “How am I going to start life over again?”

Imeh had heard that the Red Cross helps people after fires. Yet when the Red Cross worker on the scene first approached her, Imeh was too upset to speak with her.

“The Red Cross lady came in, and she said, ‘How you doing, ma’am?’ She walked with me; she was so sweet, she was so kind, even though I was crying. She almost burst into tears, too. She said, ‘You relax; when you’re ready you come to me.'”

After a time, Imeh calmed down. She conferred with the responder, who provided her and her husband with emergency housing at a local motel, and a debit card with funds for emergency food and clothing. Imeh later came to Greater New York Red Cross regional headquarters in Manhattan, where a caseworker helped her with next steps.

“We never know what tomorrow has for us,” Imeh said. “Anything can happen. And if anything does, I think Red Cross is the best."

A Response Shift with the Greater NY Red Cross

Photo by Anita Salzberg

by Dorothy He

Last Friday, I had the opportunity to ride along with a Red Cross disaster relief team as they responded to calls for help in Queens and Manhattan.

I left Greater New York regional headquarters in Manhattan with a team of responders who were dispatched from the Emergency Call Center, or ECC. The ECC is the hub of disaster response; it’s where information is gathered to help people in need of emergency assistance and disaster relief in the NYC area.

We first drove to Queens in a Red Cross van to respond to a “vacate,” which is when a tenant or tenants are forced to leave their apartment because it is either illegal or does not meet New York City building safety standards. Many of these vacates involve apartments that are unsafe, because they lack windows, reliable ventilation, and/or fire escapes.

Sometimes the consequences of renting out such an apartment unit can be deadly serious. A few years ago, a family died in a fire in their Brooklyn apartment because it did not have a fire escape.

When we arrived at the apartment, we met with the tenant, Mark. Mark had been living in a very small basement room with no windows, ventilation or means of fire escape. As a self-employed artist, Mark was sad to be leaving behind his home and his workspace, where he had stayed for many years. His apartment was filled with paintbrushes, canvasses and objects that inspired him. I asked him what he drew.

“I draw people like you,” he said, smiling. “Ordinary people, everyday things.”

Despite being sad about leaving, Mark knew he would have to find somewhere else to live for now. The Red Cross secured a two-day stay for him at a local hotel in Queens; we also provided him with a debit card with emergency funds for food. The responders invited Mark to visit Greater New York headquarters as soon as possible to speak with a caseworker about further services, including a new place to stay. He thanked us profusely.

After we left the vacate, the responders were notified of a basement fire in an apartment building on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. We immediately drove to there, and were greeted by firefighters. Luckily, they had arrived quickly and contained the fire, which was started by an oil leak, within minutes.

Although it was not a large fire, there was heavy smoke damage throughout the basement and in the kitchen of the superintendent’s basement apartment as well. Earlier, when the smoke began seeping into rooms upstairs through radiators, firefighters had to enter apartments on higher floors to open the windows and let the smoke out.

Thankfully, there was no damage to any of the upstairs apartments. Although the building’s residents — some of who were returning from lunch — seemed a bit shaken, everyone was okay. We gave the superintendent, Antonio, a fire cleanup kit. Fortunately, he and his family will be able to stay in his apartment after airing it out and clearing small debris.

“I did not even know that the Red Cross would be here to provide assistance after a fire,” he admitted. “My family and I are very grateful for the help of the Red Cross.”

The experience of the ride-along was truly humbling and very eye opening. As a communications intern, I spend most of my time in the office, so going out into the field with the disaster response volunteers was an interesting change. The trip allowed me to see firsthand the impact the Greater New York Red Cross has on the everyday lives of New Yorkers. While disaster response is a very serious commitment, one fun aspect of it is seeing parts of the city while en route to fires and vacates that one might never otherwise visit. Volunteers also have the opportunity to meet ordinary New Yorkers and touch their lives.

As the Red Cross motto states, the organization helps people “Down the street. Across the country. Around the world.” At Greater New York headquarters, volunteers and employees work tirelessly to bring aid to their neighbors and fellow New York City residents, just down the street.

Just a few hours from New York by plane, Red Cross volunteers are helping Illinois residents recover in the aftermath of dangerous tornadoes that tore through 11 Illinois cities last week.

And around the world, the American Red Cross is currently providing assistance to the Red Cross of the Philippines in their effort to aid those affected by Typhoon Haiyan.

As an intern, I am proud to work with the American Red Cross in its efforts to address humanitarian needs at a local, national and global level.

For Red Cross Volunteer, Typhoon Haiyan Hits Close to Home

Story and photo by Anita Salzberg

Since Typhoon Haiyan swept through the Philippines this past weekend, Ronnie Rigos knew he wanted to throw himself into the American Red Cross Haiyan relief effort. Rigos, a 25-year New York resident now living in Brooklyn, and a five-year Greater New York volunteer, hails from Quezon Province, about 45 miles north of Manila, the Philippine capital city.

“I literally jumped at the opportunity to be part of this response,” Rigos said. “It means so much to me personally.”

He, along with fellow volunteers and employees, has been eagerly taking calls from people searching for loved ones in the area devastated by Haiyan. From filling out tracing inquiries on missing relatives, to providing information on ways to support the Red Cross International Response Relief Fund, to offering emotional support and “being there” for people in this difficult time, Rigos is doing it all, including taking on a leadership role in the Greater New York response.

“I've reached out to local Filipino-American community leaders, established point-of-contacts and helped coordinate the services our local Red Cross is offering,” he said.

Rigos’ mother, sisters, brothers and other relatives remain in Quezon Province. Though they are safe, he has yet to hear from distant relatives and close family friends who may have been in the region hit by the typhoon.

He says he regards the American Red Cross, and especially the Red Crossers in the Greater New York region, as an extended family, and wants to thank everyone in the region, “For their enormous care, warmest of thoughts, awesome support, thoughtful kindness, and for being there, always.”

Without the Red Cross, I don’t know where I would be.

For Bedford-Stuyvesant native Halzian Owen, one tragedy was followed by another.

Just a week after her husband passed away, a devastating act of arson destroyed her quiet building and her family-owned apartment.

Owen recalled, “I saw and smelt smoke, but I didn’t see flames. I just reached for the door handle; it was hot to the touch.”

With no other escape route available, Owen, her 2-year-old son, Derrick, and her 16-year-old niece decided to jump out of the second-story apartment’s back window. 

Firefighters arrived to put out the fire and helped Owen rescue her dogs, Brownie and Prince. Soon after, a Red Cross van arrived at the scene and a responder assisted the family.  

Owen said, “She made sure we were okay ... it was comforting.”

Red Cross also extended help to Owen’s neighbors, giving them temporary housing and emergency funds. Owen declined housing, and her family stayed with her son’s godparents; however, she accepted financial assistance from the Red Cross, which allowed her to buy food and clothing.

For Owen, experiencing an apartment fire firsthand was surreal. “I could not believe it,” she explained. “You see it on TV, but you never truly understand until you live through it.”

As for the next step, Owen plans to visit the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development, as well as Crime Victim Services.

She said, “There are a lot of services available. The Red Cross gave me referrals that I wouldn’t have ever known about.”

“Without the Red Cross, I don’t know where I would be,” Owen added. “I would be lost. They were there for me and my family, and I am really thankful for that.”

Patrick was our hero.

Jaimie Sanita and Emily Viemeister were awakened around 4 am on a steamy night in July by frantic knocking by a neighbor: there was a fire in their building. They rushed down from the sixth floor and watched from across the street as their apartment and two others were consumed by flames.

The two best friends and former NYU college roommates had no idea what to do and where to go next. Then, a Red Cross disaster responder arrived as the fire was extinguished.

“We met Patrick, and he was our savior,” Jaimie said. “He went above and beyond. He made the situation bearable.”

“Patrick was amazing,” Emily agreed. “He gave us cold water and made sure everyone on the street had cold water. He did all the paperwork. He gave us a debit card for food.”

Patrick also prepared them for what they could expect when they were allowed back into their apartment to see what they could retrieve.

“It looked like a war zone,” Jaimie said. You could see straight to the sky when you looked up.”

Although Jaimie, a banker, and Emily, who works in PR, declined an offer of short-term Red Cross arranged housing and have been staying with friends, they are grateful for everything the Red Cross—and in particular Patrick, has done for them.

“You could tell he cared and wanted to make the situation a little better. He was our hero,” Emily said. She added about the Red Cross, “Keep doing what you’re doing. It makes a difference.”

Volunteer Profile: Mike Hollis

By Gordon Williams

Mike Hollis of Sunnyside, Queens, has played a great many roles in his five years as a volunteer with the American Red Cross Greater New York region.

His association with the Red Cross actually began in high school with the blood services program in his home state of Connecticut. Later he moved to New York City and over five years with Greater New York has been a responder in disaster services, a member of the Bronx Disaster Action Team (DAT), a DAT lead and, most recently, a shelter supervisor for Mass Care (feeding).

When a rain storm flooded the Mid-Atlantic States late last summer, he was deployed as a shelter manager in Montgomery County, Md. He not only ran the shelter but also helped the Montgomery County officials who staffed the facility learn the ins-and-outs of shelter management—from how to register clients to how to assemble cots.

These days, Hollis has a new and more challenging assignment—one not previously given to a volunteer.

NSS Reporting

Not only is Hollis now a support specialist in the Red Cross National Shelter System (NSS)—the first volunteer to hold the job—but he has also been named as an NSS Trainer—the first one ever for the Greater New York region.

Monica Czwarno, regional manager for Mass Care and Logistics, explained, “Not only can Mike teach NSS nationally through conference call-style classes, but he has taught two different NSS courses as a classroom instructor in New York City.”

If that didn't keep Hollis busy enough (he has a full time job as a database manager for an environmental consulting firm) he has also written a new NSS Pocket Guide.

“It will give volunteers a go-to guide when they need a refresher on how to use the system,” Czwarno said.

So what is the National Shelter System and where does it fit in the Red Cross mission of bringing relief to disaster victims?

Hollis explained that the primary function of NSS is as an analytical tool that collects data from Red Cross shelters while they are in operation. Once collected and analyzed, all the data help tomorrow’s shelter managers and their crews do a better job by learning from the past experiences of others.

Hollis explained that the function of NSS support specialist was created so that shelter reporting is done by specific individuals who are trained to do the job: “This assures that data is reported into the system efficiently, while freeing up shelter managers and staff to fulfill their primary responsibilities.” 

On the job, Hollis and his fellow support specialists contact shelter managers twice a day during operations, collecting such data as shelter populations and feeding it into the NSS system. The function can be performed remotely, from any location that offers internet access. The material is useful in helping the Red Cross understand shelter trends and do post-operation analysis. 

Hollis is one of three NSS Support Specialists for the region—each spending a month on call on a rotation basis.

Superstorm Sandy

Hollis’s NSS experience became even more valuable when Sandy hit the East Coast. For five days after the storm hit, Hollis worked out of the Emergency Operations Center as shelter coordinator for the region before returning to his job. That entailed everything from NSS reporting to troubleshooting issues ranging from a need for basic resources, such as blankets, to helping to find a safe haven for pets belonging to evacuees, to coordinating visits to Red Cross shelters by elected officials. 

“It was a very intense experience, but incredibly rewarding,” he said. “A side of the Red Cross I hadn’t experienced. I think we were able to keep things really organized for the operation.” 

Like so many Red Cross employees and volunteers, each of those four nights, Hollis slept on the building’s fourth floor—when he had time to sleep. NSS reporting needs to occur at 12 hour intervals, so he would be up for a 9 am meeting, spend the morning and afternoon tackling other issues, as well as preparing for the noon and midnight counts.

The following week, Hollis helped with the initial training of new shelter volunteers arriving from across the country to help Sandy evacuees. Then, from end of November to end of January, he remotely handled NSS reporting for the final Sandy shelter reports.

Work-life Balance

Despite his busy Red Cross schedule, Hollis still has time for a personal life. His work involves managing the team that provides research support for environmental consulting projects the firm undertakes. Hollis also coordinates the training program for the firm’s field staff. What free time he has is spent jogging, gardening and reading.

“There Are People There to Help You”

Red Cross Helps Actress after New York Apartment Fire
By Steele Filipek

Although Kira Davies and her boyfriend, Tim Race, didn’t connect immediately with the American Red Cross after their Brooklyn apartment was destroyed by an electrical fire, once they did, they felt they were in good hands.

Davies and Race thought they’d lost everything in the fire—furniture, records, books, bed, clothes; in other words, many of the tangibles that make up everyday life. Thankfully, neither was home at the time, and they were able to salvage some meaningful items, but seeing a decade of New York living going up in flames was as surreal as it was devastating.

“I pulled up in a car to see the fire department literally throwing my dresser out my window,” Davies reported. “My apartment was on fire.”

An actress and part-time sales agent, Davies had very little left with which to start over, least of all, time. Working on several projects for the theatre troupe Dangerous Ground Productions while also filling in for a departing actor took her mind off of the damage that had been done, but also prevented her from picking up the pieces.

Then, days after the fire, she and Race, who were staying with friends, returned to the apartment to see what they could salvage. They now saw that the Red Cross had left a sticker on the door of their apartment following the incident (it had been partially covered by another notice), and reached out for help.

Though she had worked for charities in the past (specifically, Children’s International), Davies had never “really thought about being the recipient of any support.”

She didn’t realize the Red Cross could help. After all, she thought, the Red Cross assisted victims of huge disasters like Hurricane Sandy. What could they do for her?

A lot, apparently.

The process proved to be straightforward, easy and quick. A phone interview led to a home visit by Red Cross disaster responders. They conducted a damage assessment and, within minutes, determined that the apartment was unlivable. The assessment led to a rented hotel room (provided for by the Red Cross) and stabilized the couple’s situation.

There was more.

“The Red Cross team handed Tim a debit card right there, on site,” Davies said. “We had almost run out of money…. I don’t know what we would have done if they hadn’t come.”

The debit card was to cover replacement food and clothing; the couple also received MetroCards for transit to and from Red Cross regional headquarters in Manhattan to speak with a caseworker for further assistance.

Davies said that the responders were helpful and kind, understanding of the circumstances. With their backing, Davies is in the process of moving out and on with her life.

“I would tell people that if they have a disaster, they should reach out as soon as possible, especially that first night,” she said.

The stress of everyday life had been amplified by the tragedy, but the Red Cross was there to help.

“People should know that if something awful happens that’s out of your control, there are people there to help you.”

Volunteer Spotlight: Laura Harms

Laura Harms of Jefferson City, Mo., is on her first national disaster relief deployment. The Red Cross Health Services volunteer, who has been assisting clients with replacing medical items and devices lost during Superstorm Sandy, even serves as a resource for those who simply need help with insurance.

“It’s nice to see a case through from beginning to end,” said Harms. “Hearing the voice on the other end of the phone say their needs have been taken care of is a great feeling.”

Harms understands the Red Cross mission well. When not volunteering she works as a Collections Specialist 2, LPN in the Missouri-Illinois Blood Services region of the Red Cross. She’s been a Red Cross volunteer since 2006 working with disaster services and Service to the Armed Forces.

“I know what I want to do,” Harms explained when asked why she volunteers. “Disaster Services is where I want to be.”

Helping to Heal the Spirit after Sandy

“We help make the heart good again.”

Those words went with American Red Cross volunteer Ronald Oliver as he visited Red Cross shelters and distribution centers, as well as streets throughout storm-ravaged areas of Greater New York.

Oliver led the Red Cross Disaster Spiritual Care Team, whose members worked alongside health and mental health staff to address the needs of those affected by Sandy in first month after the hurricane made landfall. Their work complemented the ongoing efforts of Disaster Chaplaincy Services, a local spiritual care group that has partnered with the Greater New York Red Cross for many years.

Spiritual Care Team members visited those who suffered the death of a family member in the disaster. They walked the streets in disaster areas, bringing words of comfort to people sorting through their demolished homes.

A visit to Breezy Point, at the far tip of Rockaway Beach, was heart wrenching. One day, Oliver spoke with two women, each of whose husbands drowned in the rising floodwaters. He looked to give them what words of comfort he could.

At the end of the day, in another neighborhood in Breezy Point, he stopped to speak to a woman who had begun digging through the rubble of her fire ravaged home. She pointed to a charred tree stump nearby.

“The woman had taken part of the stump to her sister’s house. After placing it in water, it started to sprout little green buds,” Oliver said.

The tree bud became a metaphor for her life and his hope.

“We will always remember what happened here,” he said, “be connected to it emotionally and know in some way we made a positive difference.”

You Guys Make Me So Happy

Most days Inwood Community Center is a place where seniors come to mingle and children come to play. On Oct. 29 it quickly morphed into a much-needed place of refuge. Nine people in total were able to find sanctuary and comfort in the Red Cross supported shelter. One woman, 83-year-old Marguerte Hill, was there for three days due to a power outage.

Mrs. Hill, known to the community as “Mother Hill,” was there supporting her friends as they gathered clothing from the center. A fixture in the neighborhood, Mother Hill said the church that her late husband established 69 years ago had lost power and was forced to cancel most of its anniversary plans scheduled for this week.

Despite her troubles, Mother Hill stayed positive, saying the kosher food delivered by the Red Cross to the Community Center was wonderful and greatly appreciated by the neighborhood it was then delivered to, and that the Red Cross cots and blankets made her stay there comfortable.

Mrs. Hill’s infectious laughter and amazing attitude lit up everyone around her. Upon exiting with cane in hand Mother Hill exclaimed, “You guys make me so happy I could just run!”

In the midst of one of the biggest operations the American Red Cross has ever put on, to hear just one voice stand up and say we made a difference makes the days without sleep and time away from loved ones worth it.

I spent my birthday in New York

Michael Clark spent his 22nd birthday giving rather than receiving.

An American Red Cross volunteer from Eureka, Calif., Clark came all the way across the country to help deliver meals to people impacted by Superstorm Sandy.

Every day—including his birthday, Nov. 11—he would show up first thing in the morning at a field kitchen in Deer Park, N.Y., to load the insulated containers that hold hot food prepared by members of the Southern Baptist Convention.

With directions from his Red Cross dispatcher, he and his crew would head for a stricken Long Island neighborhood, where the familiar red and white truck would deliver food and hope to those trying to put their lives back together.

Back home, Clark works for a Walmart store. When he learned that the Red Cross needed feeding truck drivers, he approached his store manager, who “made it happen” to let Clark go to New York to help others.

Clark prides himself in delivering not only meals, but a laugh to residents in need and co-workers alike.

CERTain Partners

Among a sea of red-clothed volunteers handing out comfort and clean-up kits on Thanksgiving Day in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, one man stood out. In his bright green vest, Devin Cohen, chief of the local Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), spent the holiday helping with the Red Cross relief effort, now in its fourth week.

Shortly after Sandy made landfall on Oct.29, Cohen managing a shelter for individuals with function and access needs. Almost three weeks later, he was still responding, this time in one of the hardest hit areas of Brooklyn, where scattered power outages still affect some brownstones, apartment buildings and local businesses.

“These days, it’s block to block,” Cohen said. “I was supposed to spend the day with my family, but we got an email asking us to send teams to help distribute food and supplies, so here I am.”

Since the response began weeks ago, the Red Cross—in partnership with several local and national organizations—has distributed almost four million relief items, including cold weather kits and clean-up supplies. In New York alone last weekend, the Red Cross handed out more than 1.4 million items to people in need.

In the days and weeks following major disasters, it’s not uncommon to see CERT teams working hand-in-hand with Red Cross volunteers. More than 1,100 communities across the United States have local CERT groups, which aim to harness the power of local citizens to support first responders during emergencies. Local CERT volunteers have been trained to help bolster communities’ safety, security and preparedness in the face of natural disasters, among other emergencies.

Volunteer Spotlight: Andy Harris

Andy Harris is a cyclist, a world traveler, and one of the most dedicated workers at the Miller Field bulk distribution center. This Englishman with a cheery disposition has a fascinating story of how he established himself as an unforgettable Red Cross volunteer.

The 53-year-old backpacked, bicycled, and motor-biked across Europe and Asia, eventually making his way to Houston, Texas, via Mexico. From there he bicycled to North Carolina. After volunteering at a museum for a week, he caught a ride on a pickup truck to Pennsylvania before biking the rest of the way to New York.

Andy has dedicated his life to helping others whenever he can.

His philosophy is, “When you’re down and out, there’s nothing like giving back to make you feel better.”

So once aboard the Staten Island Ferry, he asked around about how to help in Sandy’s aftermath and was advised to join the American Red Cross. That’s just what Andy did, and he hasn’t looked back.

Andy not only volunteers at Miller Field, he sleeps in a tent there as well. He says he would hate to take up a bed that could be given to someone else. One bonus is that his commute is as short as it gets.

“I can just step out of my tent and go right to work!”

Andy’s supervisors say he is one of the hardest working volunteers at the site. Hopefully, this unforgettable volunteer, whose attitude inspires everyone around him, will be with the Red Cross for a long time to come.