Rewarding Disaster Deployments
By Jennifer Jett-Prezkop
A Red Cross volunteer surveys damage in Cameron Parish, LA, caused by Hurricane Laura. Photo by Scott Dalton/American Red Cross.
There is one thing folks learn pretty quickly when visiting the Mountain State: West Virginians are kind, generous and helpful. This selfless nature was recognized by John F. Kennedy when he visited the state during the 1960 presidential primary election campaign and said, “The sun does not always shine in West Virginia, but the people always do.” Despite a long history of economic challenges, West Virginians are known for offering a hand up to those in need—especially strangers.
Thanks to the American Red Cross of Central Appalachia Region, West Virginians have an opportunity to take that instinct to help their fellow man in hard times and travel across the country to comfort and support those impacted by disaster. They rush to the aid of those in devastated communities and, wearing the Red Cross responder vest that is recognized internationally as a sign that aid has arrived, they act as a beacon of help and hope for those who are struggling through the darkest moments of their lives.
Deployment as a disaster volunteer is a well-rounded opportunity for anyone who has time and compassion. Not only do volunteers experience the fulfillment of rushing to the scene of a disaster to help alleviate suffering, but they also experience personal growth and leadership development. Volunteers have found that there are many perks to disaster deployment as well, including opportunities to go on new adventures, visit new places, make lifelong friends and experience new cultures.
Embracing New Adventures
Brenda Stickley, a resident of Burlington, WV, loves disaster deployment because every assignment is a different kind of adventure. Since becoming a volunteer five years ago, she has deployed 14 times, traveling to Texas, North Carolina, Alabama, Maryland, Louisiana, Oregon, California and Kentucky.
Everywhere Stickley has deployed has offered her opportunities to learn about the people, customs, food, landscape and major local attractions.
“I’ve had the pleasure of tasting beignets in New Orleans while wearing beads and traveling on the trolley, and I’ve experienced breath-taking views of Crater Lake in Oregon,” she says. “I have also visited many state parks, including Sea Rim State Park, where I got to dip my toes in the Gulf of Mexico.”
One deployment that stands out for Stickley is her assignment in Medford, OR, in 2020 to provide feeding services for wildfire victims.
“It was hard for my brain to absorb the massive ability of a wildfire to not only destroy homes but vehicles, businesses, vegetation and even infrastructure,” she says. “Each day, I delivered hot meals and snacks with the Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV) in Medford and the surrounding communities. It was amazing to be able to help so many people. The sadness of the fire’s destruction was replaced by smiles. These assignments provide food for my soul and give my heart a lift.”
Exploring New Places
In less than two years, Huntington, WV, resident Reed Washington has deployed to four national disasters, each time traveling to destinations he had never been before. He enjoys going to new places and helping people.
While deployed to Oregon to assist with wildfire evacuation shelters, he used his free time to make his first visit to California. His next three deployments took him to Louisiana,
where he explored Louisiana State University’s sports fields and experienced the local attractions of New Orleans like Lafayette Square and The National WWII Museum.
What he enjoys most about being a disaster volunteer is serving as a certified ERV driver. ERVs allow volunteers to deliver food and emergency supplies to hard-hit areas. His deployments to Louisiana involved him driving an ERV through hurricane-impacted communities, giving out hot meals and smiles.
“When the clients in New Orleans would say, ‘Thank you and God bless you,’ I realized how appreciative they were,” he says of those to whom he delivered hot meals. “I was just trying to help them for a moment with a hot meal, hoping they could enjoy the food and not think about everything else that was going on around them. In that moment, I knew we, as Red Cross volunteers, had made a difference that day.”
Making Lifelong Friends
“Deployment as a disaster volunteer for the Red Cross is very much like an adventure in the sense that you are visiting new places, experiencing new ways of life and making new, lifelong friends,” says Dreama Burks, a native of Welch, WV, and a lead for the Central Appalachia Region’s Disaster Health Services team.
Burks became a health services volunteer as a way to stay involved with nursing after retirement. Since 2017, she has deployed 13 times, traveling to Florida and North Carolina for hurricanes, California for a mudslide with mass fatalities and Texas for a mass shooting.
Her favorite deployment, though, occurred in 2018 when she traveled to Hawaii to serve as a shelter nurse during ongoing volcano activity. She found herself on a team of 14 health services volunteers that bonded over the constant earthquakes, toxic fumes and unique client needs. They all remain friends today.
“The most amazing group of humans I have ever met were assembled on that Hawaii team, and I can’t tell you how much they mean to me,” she says. “Red Cross teammates are an extension of your family, and you gain new members with each deployment along with precious memories to last a lifetime.”
Experiencing New Cultures
In 2021, Jean Brothers boarded a flight to Texas, her destination a U.S. military base where Afghan refugees would soon arrive seeking shelter.
Brothers, a native of Parkersburg, WV, and a 15-year veteran of the Red Cross, has more than 40 deployments under her belt. She has set up and managed countless shelters both in the Mountain State and around the country, but none of that fully prepared her for how this deployment would tug at her heartstrings.
For the Afghan repatriation operation, the Red Cross’ primary role was to assist with sheltering and make sure the clients had clothing, hygiene items and bedding, as well as physical and mental health support. Brothers was on the ground when the first bus of refugees arrived. Many were women and children, and all had been traveling for up to a week.
“The clients arrived with mostly only the clothes on their back,” she remembers. “They were grateful for the clean bedding, towels and a shower. The mothers were running out of necessities, so they were happy we were there with supplies for the infants.”
It was an emotionally difficult deployment for Brothers. “I cried a lot at night because of the hardships the clients told us about,” she says. “I can’t imagine having to leave my home, family and country with only the clothes on my back. We were advised by the military that because of the Afghanistan culture and COVID, we couldn’t give hugs, but the Afghan women would initiate a hug, and we always returned the gesture. They needed that human contact.”
Brothers had a sense of urgency for mobilizing for this operation. “The Afghan people risked their lives to help our soldiers during the war, and I felt it was only right that I give up my time to help them,” she says. “These refugees were in a strange country where a lot of them did not even know the language. As Red Cross volunteers, we provided a friendly attitude and offered hope when they were doubting there was any. They were happy when they saw our red vests, and they could not thank us enough.”
Serving West Virginia
An individual doesn’t have to deploy across the country to be a Red Cross disaster volunteer. In fact, there is plenty of need for local volunteers right here in the Mountain State. Disaster doesn’t stop at the West Virginia state line; the state has its own disasters, particularly with flooding and winter weather. Sometimes the Mountain State can even be impacted by hurricanes. All of these events can result in the need for shelter, food, disaster assessment and recovery planning.
On a daily basis, the Red Cross responds to residential fires reported from local fire departments by deploying a Disaster Action Team (DAT) to assist the occupants with immediate needs like overnight housing. DAT volunteers are a pivotal part of the local disaster response plan, and having volunteers willing to respond to fires within their communities to offer help, hope and assistance is critical to the Red Cross’ mission delivery. Being a DAT volunteer is just one of many local opportunities where West Virginians can make a difference without leaving their own community.
Becoming a volunteer is simple. Individuals can visit redcross.org to apply, and once their specialized training is complete, they’ll be on the way to changing lives, whether locally or throughout the country.
“If anyone has a desire to give back or help others, volunteering for the Red Cross is the way to do it,” says Brothers. “With the Red Cross, I am doing what I was put on this earth to do: serve my fellow man.”
