High School Students Help People Affected by Superstorm Sandy

More than two dozen members of the Mamaroneck, N.Y., High School Red Cross Club stepped up to help people in their community affected by Superstorm Sandy.

“The club's efforts made a huge impact, and everyone involved has expressed great appreciation for our actions,” said Eli Russ, president of the M.H.S. Red Cross Club.

Superstorm Sandy also affected Red Cross Club members themselves. “Many of us were without electricity or other basic items for up to a week or longer.”

An emergency evacuation shelter was operated at the M.H.S. Post Road gym from the evening of Oct. 28 to the afternoon of Nov. 30 for residents who needed a safe and dry place to sleep and wait out the storm.

The shelter housed about 70 residents at its peak. A warming shelter was also set up on Nov. 2 and housed a handful of overnight residents.

“We proved to be an invaluable asset to our community's sheltering efforts,” said John Dyer, vice president of the M.H.S. Red Cross Club.

Club members assisted with setting up, operating and closing both shelters. They assembled and disassembled about 100 cots and transported dozens of boxes of supplies.

Club members helped registered shelter clients and served as translators for Spanish-speaking residents in addition to distributing meals, snacks, and water to shelter residents.

Photos of the Mamaroneck Red Cross Club in action at the shelters can be seen at http://on.fb.me/VYqFNp.

Volunteer Spotlight: John Saffa

“Volunteering for the Red Cross is just like a second love in my life,” said John Saffa.

The 73-year-old from the American Red Cross Cherokee Chapter in Alabama has been in the organization only a year, but Hurricane Sandy is his fifth national deployment.

Tuesday, Saffa was helping with bulk distribution on Staten Island, providing clean-up supplies and coolers packed with Thanksgiving treats to people without power.

“I like being out with the people,” Saffa said. “They come up and hug you and thank you for being here and missing Thanksgiving with your own family. I feel real honored to be here to do this.”

A friend who volunteered during 9/11 encouraged Saffa to join the Red Cross. When he finally did, Saffa quickly found his place. Between national deployments, he’s made time to complete 27 Red Cross classes.

“The way people in the Red Cross work together is great,” Saffa said. “Everyone I’ve been with on this deployment has been fabulous.”

One person whom Saffa served barely escaped the storm with his life. Fifteen feet of water entered his home and caused his car to flip over. When the water in the house reached the man’s neck, he finally swam out of the house, praying all the way.

“That’s why I give 120 percent,” said Saffa. “I’m out here to help people. The only thing we should be worrying about is the people we’re helping.”

Resting briefly after making his second run for the day, Saffa added, “I’m going to do this ‘til I can’t do it anymore.”

Tears and Smiles

by  Michele Maki

In a move that speaks of the generosity and kindness within the Manhattan business community, the American Red Cross received a gift of 28,000 jackets to warm the children affected by Superstorm Sandy.

“Our operation was shut down for an entire week.” Sam Haddad, CEO of Haddad Brands explained. “But, when we saw the Red Cross trucks arrive, we knew we had to help. “

Haddad’s generous donation was quickly put to use. Within hours, 400 Red Cross trucks were getting ready to distribute the jackets to children who would otherwise be suffering from the frigid temperatures.

“It’s a wonderful feeling to be able to help our community, especially the children.” Haddad added.

Superstorm Sandy impacted everyone at the Haddad Brands office. Still, putting the needs of children first, was the primary concern for Mr. Haddad and his staff.

“We’re all in this together," he said. "We simply had to help.”

Sunday, Haddad’s gift of warmth reached those who needed it the most-the children of Brighton Beach, in Brooklyn, Coney Island. These children and their families have been without heat, electricity and fresh water since Sandy’s landfall nearly two weeks ago.

Squeals of laughter and giggles could be heard throughout the distribution area. Tears of gratitude from mothers, now relieved, knowing their children won’t be shivering from the frigid temperatures any longer were evident everywhere.

“Thank you, thank you.” one tearful mother wept. “God bless you, Red Cross.”

A Sandy Volunteer Shares His Experiences

Michael Spieth, who lives in Astoria, N.Y. and works as a project manager, became an American Red Cross spontaneous volunteer for Sandy and worked for 72 hours in a Red Cross shelter on Long Island. He wrote a description of his experience that he sent to friends. He gave us permission to share it here.

Hello friends,

Some of you know that I volunteered at a Red Cross shelter on Long Island as part of the disaster relief efforts after Hurricane Sandy. I'd like to share some of these experiences.

I'm very glad I did this. I'm back home after almost three days, having taken the Long Island Rail Road to the Jamaica station and the subway home from there.

You would hardly believe the pace of work at a Red Cross shelter. Every moment is taken up by thinking and acting on a never-ending list of items. I got to sleep three hours twice in that time. I could have gotten more, but one goes into a kind of adrenaline rush and mostly only sleeps when talked into it a few times.

I was made aware of the need for volunteers by a friend. I signed up on Tuesday, Oct. 30, and showed up for training on Wednesday morning ready and packed for three days, as the email had asked. That same afternoon, I was in a van with four others, being driven out to Long Island. I was assigned to a shelter located by Farmingdale, N.Y., in a high school. My first night there, it received 100 people from another shelter closer to the water, which had closed due to lack of electricity. That brought us to about 230 shelter residents total.

The Red Cross had prepositioned a storage container with supplies the Sunday before. The shelter staff took cots, blankets, and many other useful items from there. Parents and community residents also walked in with bags full of donations: clothes, diapers, soap, toiletries. We had boxes of toiletry kits prepared by a Girl Scout troop, and food was often donated from businesses nearby. I expected the shelter would have to close on Sunday to make room for school starting again Monday; they did not know where they'd be transferred to when I left. (Update: The shelter did not move that weekend; on a disaster relief effort, things change all the time.)

One senior lady was there because she needed electricity for her medical device (oxygen, in her case). I was glad to see that she was picked up before I left. There were about five babies and 25 children; the rest were adults. The children stayed with their parents in a separate school gymnasium next to another gymnasium housing adults only.

One of our goals was to create routines, so everyone had some structure to their time in the shelter. If they needed something and we had it, it was theirs.

Volunteers ran the entire site. Our managers were professionals with years of experience in emergency and disaster relief management, and the volunteers all did what they were best at.

While training at the Red Cross we were told two indispensable things: first, be flexible; and second, listen to clients; it helps them.

Listening does help. Many times a resident stopped me and told me their story. One could see their relief to share. I'll add another to this list: three—Let people be people. With so many quirky characters under one roof, the only thing one could do is just take them for who they were—people in need of help, who needed a place to sleep, food to eat, and a hot shower. Many of them had literally lost everything to the flooding. Others just couldn't stay at home because of a lack of electricity, and often because they were dependent on medical devices needing electricity, like oxygen machines.

No point in going into detail on some of the bad luck that these folks have had. Needless to say, if one has to go to a shelter, it's serious.

More volunteers from AmeriCorps, Stonybrook University, JetBlue and others arrived on Thursday and brought much needed help to the team.

A bus from the SPCA housing pets arrived Thursday and pet owners got to spend time with their animals. Ambulances and paramedics from Ohio and Alabama stayed at the school 24/7 to provide extra medical coverage, beside the on-site nurse, who was sent home and replaced after 48 hours of straight work. The school's custodians helped us 24 hours a day with facilities, and police officers were there to keep the peace.

The staff and shelter residents started working together very quickly to manage events like helping clean the cafeteria and the entrance areas. Residents also lent each other phone chargers, watched out for each other's children in the “family” gym.

One kid really stood out. He helped like a champion with anything he could. I’ll call him Brian. He celebrated his 16th birthday in that shelter. The school's custodians found out and got him a cake. Red Cross policy is to never abandon people, and the goal really is to get people connected to their relatives and friends, and to get back to their lives.

Ok, I'm exhausted and on my way to a full night's sleep, after a great, warm, homemade dinner. This was an amazing and moving experience, and I thanked the Red Cross for letting me help. Please consider making a small donation at www.redcross.org

Hope you're all well, and thanks for listening.

Best,

Michael

The Red Cross is Here for You

By Rebecca Nelson

On Veteran’s Day weekend, I had the opportunity to go out into the field alongside fellow Red Cross volunteers and employees to help people devastated by Superstorm Sandy. I was designated a “Site Leader” and assigned to the Rockaways, one of the deeply impacted neighborhoods in Queens. 

Even though I have received daily, comprehensive updates of Sandy’s impact, I was shocked at the magnitude of the storm’s power and the destruction left in its wake – hundred-foot oak trees ripped right from their roots, toppled over like chess pawns; homes and buildings reduced to piles of wood, brick and rubble; homes lucky to still be left standing are silent, dark, and overshadowed by a pile of debris at the curb.  

Upon closer inspection, I saw the debris is actually everything that family had owned, including furniture, clothing, and memories – all destroyed by flood and sewage water; and what is now a familiar but nonetheless troubling sight to all of us: the mile-long queue of people with red gas cans surrounded by police and fatigue-clad service members. 

With 40 dedicated Red Cross volunteers from all areas of the country, we canvassed the neighborhood to let the community know that our mobile feeding vehicles were nearby and stocked with hot food. We distributed thousands of comfort kits with blankets, flashlights and other necessary items.

Most people had been without power for over two weeks, with no light or heat as the days get shorter and the temperatures continue to drop. Most were caring for little kids or elderly parents and neighbors. They were out on a chilly afternoon to find donated blankets, diapers, bottled water—or at the very least, a place to charge their cell phones. 

I expected distress, despair and anger, and while some of these emotions were justifiably present, I was surprised by the amazing display of hope on people’s faces at just a glimpse of my Red Cross jacket. Handing over a Styrofoam tray of BBQ pulled pork with a smile, I was thanked, hugged and blessed. 

I do not have the ability to turn the power back on. What I could offer was a comforting hand on a shoulder and ear to listen to someone’s plight, a hot meal, and access to the resources people desperately needed.

After a heart-wrenching but fulfilling day I drove away from this changed community, taking in the haphazard way cars were parked on the meridian and on the side of the road. They were all abandoned, destroyed from sea water up to their sunroofs. As the twenty minute trip home stretched to almost two hours, we finally came upon the cause of the traffic—a large boat in the middle of Cross Bay Boulevard, left wherever the surge had tossed it. In front someone spray-painted a message on a large wooden plank: “Broad Channel – The Forgotten Town.” 

I know after hearing everyone’s stories that this is the way it feels. But to Broad Channel, the Rockaways, Staten Island, Long Beach, and all of the other towns and people whose lives have been forever changed by Sandy, you are not and have never been forgotten. 

The Red Cross has been here since the beginning. We are giving out hundreds of thousands of meals, clean-up and comfort items each day. And we will be here for as long as we are needed, powered by the spirit of kind volunteers who dedicate their time, and the amazing generosity of people and businesses who donate crucial funds to support our work.

I have never been more proud to be a part of something as I am of being a Red Crosser.  I feel deeply fortunate to work with generous and dedicated people and companies that have made incredible donations and sacrifices of time. 

It makes our work possible, and that work really does change lives. I want to extend a simple thank you to all the volunteers who have helped and are helping, and to everyone who has generously donated to the Red Cross. You are making a difference in thousands of lives.

Rebecca Nelson works in the development department of the Greater New York Red Cross region.

 

Losing the roof of his house to Hurricane Andrew motivated Roberto Baltodano to become a Red Cross volunteer

By Gemma Haywood

Miami Red Cross volunteer Roberto Baltodano’s first experience with the Red Cross was as a recipient of Red Cross aid during Hurricane Andrew in 1992. When Andrew hit South Florida, the roof of Baltodano’s South Dade house was destroyed.

With no work for two to three weeks due to a post-Andrew power outage, rather than sit at home doing nothing, Baltodano joined the Red Cross as a volunteer Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV) driver.

“I remember an ERV coming to our neighborhood and feeding us the meals that we’re feeding today in New York,” he said. “So I’ve been on the other side of that window. I was a client.”

When Baltodano was laid off a year and a half ago after 25 years in the financial services sector, he decided to increase his involvement with the Red Cross and become a full-time volunteer in Miami, specializing in disaster mass care, or feeding.

When the East Coast went on alert for Hurricane Sandy, Baltodano was part of an advance team stationed around the NY region, ready to coordinate the deployment of Red Cross ERVs in the wake of Sandy.

After the storm, Red Cross vehicles were deployed to the New York region from across the US. Some of the first to arrive were from Tennessee, Kentucky and Mississippi. As the full scale of the disaster became clear, the Red Cross’s full, nationwide contingent of 320 emergency vehicles were sent to the storm-hit region; 180 are now in operation in the New York area.

Baltodano’s first role in the relief effort was to coordinate sending six Red Cross vehicles, stocked with 57,000 heater meals, to Long Island—one of the first meal deliveries of the relief operation.

Baltodano has been on the job for almost three weeks now, and recently became involved in the procurement side of the relief operation. He visited a shelter in Bohemia, N.Y., which was housing around 50 to 80 local residents. While cots and blankets were well stocked, food and other supplies were running low. Baltodano arranged for milk, oranges, essential foods and baby supplies such as Pampers, to be delivered.

A spooky Halloween

Three weeks on a disaster relief operation brings a variety of experiences. At the beginning, many Red Cross volunteers were staying in shelters.

“There were two of us sleeping at a high school the first day,” Baltodano recalled. He said it was spooky staying all alone in a high school around Halloween.

After that, Baltodano spent several nights in a staff shelter, moving to a hotel when he began working out of Greater NY Red Cross HQ in Manhattan.

“For the most part though,” he said, “our ERV teams and the people working in the kitchens are staying in staff shelters.”

Having a hot dog in New York; it’s something normal

Twenty years of Red Cross experience means that Baltodano has seen the organization develop.

“When I began we didn’t have the quality of food we have today,” he said. “We had MREs; military ready-to-eat meals.”

Today, the Red Cross works hard to provide meals that will make people feel comfortable and remind them of home. The inclusion of salads and vegetables ensures that meals are healthy. A few days ago here in New York, the Red Cross was serving up hot dogs.

“We adapt our meals to each region.” Baltodano explained. “We need to help people get back to normal. And having a hot dog in New York; it’s something normal.”

On this relief operation Baltodano finds it rewarding to sharing the knowledge he’s gained through the years with new Red Cross volunteers. Baltodano explained to the many new ERV drivers that they would see a lot of emotions during the days ahead and that people would be crying on their shoulders. He advised his new colleagues to visualize such situations ahead of time so that they would be mentally prepared.

“It allowed them to be stronger and to be able to help the client,” he said. “Not only be handing them a plate of food, but being the pillar of strength they needed to be.”

The importance of preparedness

 

The most important message that Baltodano would like to get across is the importance of preparedness.

“Whether it’s for a fire that happens every nine minutes across the U.S., or for a hurricane that may not happen for the next 100 years, you should always be prepared," he said. "And to be involved in volunteer work is the best way to learn preparedness."

Baltodano has just signed on for another three weeks of Red Cross Sandy relief work.

To learn more about his work with the Red Cross, follow him on Twitter at @Twittnrob.

Six Strangers, One Mission

It was 11 am and the sun was attempting to pierce through the foggy sky in Lido Beach, Long Island. With a huge smile on her face, Faye Lagares of Queens, N.Y., began loading food, water and comfort kits filled with blankets, trash bags and other items into Red Cross vehicles.

Faye, who works for Citibank, is a brand new volunteer. Citibank’s volunteer program is dedicated to connecting their employees with volunteer opportunities in their communities.

“A request came in for around 50 volunteers and in a matter of hours every slot was filled,” said Faye. “Many of our employees were affected [by Sandy] and I just felt I needed to do something.”

Jessica Fleurimond from Philadelphia, Steve Brown from Texas, Giselle Gomez from California, Kabir Tombat, an AmeriCorps member currently working with the Greater New York Red Cross region, and Joel Greenberg, a Red Cross Long Island board member all joined Faye, going door to door throughout Lido Beach distributing meals and supplies.

One of the team’s main goals was to reach senior citizens living in high-rise apartments who still did not have power. At each building, the group divided into teams of two, going to floor-to-floor and ensuring that all residents received food, water, blankets and supplies.

“It was just truly incredible how we all quickly came together to help,” said Giselle Gomez. “At the end of the day, we were not strangers, but instead a family.”