My husband and I lived in University City during the flooding on September 14, 2008. We spent a week at Heman Park when the Red Cross set up shelter for the tenants of University City.

Hello, my name is Pamela Bowser. I was a victim of the flooding during Hurricane Ike. When I walked into your offices, I was afraid no one would believe my story.

A little over five weeks ago, I deployed on my first Red Cross national disaster assignment to the Red Cross Hurricane Gustav relief headquarters in Baton Rouge, LA. I checked in at headquarters and was then sent to an area 30 miles west of New Orleans. Being a RN, my professional expertise was called upon to help Red Cross staff and volunteers with their medical needs during their deployments.

After Hurricane Ike hit the Gulf Coast, I volunteered to help at the American Red Cross national call center.  At the call center, I was in a position to help the truly desperate people, the ones who weren’t able to make it to a shelter, who didn't know how to find food, or who had nothing but the Red Cross 1-800-Get-Info phone number to try to survive. They were usually the ones in the hardest hit areas, where delivering food and supplies door-to-door was nearly impossible because of downed power lines, flood waters and debris blocking the streets. In most cases, I was able to direct people to nearby resources like FEMA Points Of Distribution for food and water, Red Cross shelters, Red Cross feeding sites or other governmental and community resources.  But there were some p Read More »

Last month, Private First Class Ja’mel Bryant, 22, was killed in a vehicle accident near Baghdad. To honor Private Bryant, and to show support to his family during this difficult time, the American Red Cross lined the entrance of Jefferson Barracks Park while Private Bryant was transported through the cemetery entrance to his final resting place. In order to give you an idea of the impact that this service has on families, I wanted to give you a brief account of my experience that day.

Now that I am back from my recent deployment to Louisiana and have had some time to think, I wanted to share one last experience with you. I've been with the Red Cross for nearly four years now and have worked on at least ten disasters. Each disaster assignment I serve on provides me with lessons I'll always remember and memories I'll never forget.  Each experience is different, yet each teaches me that no matter what part of the country I might be in, there are certain truths that unite us.  This time, that lesson was taught by a client I met when I was serving on an ERV during the Hurricane Gustav relief efforts - a four year old girl named Angel.  Angel's family was affected by both Hurricane Gustav and Hurricane Ike.  Their trailer in the bayou took a bea Read More »

When I wrote last, I had been on deployment for one week in West Wego, Louisiana, helping at a kitchen during the Hurricane Gustav relief effort. The "kitchen" was actually a parking lot filled with five refrigerator trucks, six trucks filled with cans known as "the pantry", and countless small tents set up for the site manager, meal preparations and a small meeting room. It was a big operation!  I have to say that the next week went by just as quickly as the first.

This year the Red Cross has responded to a groundbreaking number of disasters. How can I tell? I’m in charge of a 95,000 square foot Red Cross warehouse that ships disaster supplies to affected areas – and we have been busy! When I first joined the Red Cross in January 2007 the first few months were relatively calm compared to the past year. I would say the long hours of going into the warehouse at 8 a.m. and not leaving until midnight began in October 2007 with the California wildfires. Since then, being busy has become a habit at the warehouse as the Red Cross continued to respond to wildfires and winter storms throughout the end of 2007. Then 2008 began with even more winter storms, flooding in multiple states (in April, June and September) and most recently Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. Read More »

On Sunday, September 14, I woke up to 18 inches of water in my first floor apartment. There was no time for me to grab much – just a few clothes and a pair of shoes. My family is all out-of-town, but luckily a co-worker offered me a place to stay until my daughter arrived late that night.

I have been a volunteer for the St. Louis Area Chapter’s Disaster Action Team (DAT) for several months now. You can usually find me on the Wednesday or Saturday night shift working from 4:00 to midnight. Often the night crew will respond to at least one fire, but sometimes there are none. No matter what, the DAT members make sure we have our trucks – and ourselves – prepared to respond at a moment’s notice.

Hello all, I have a few minutes to give you an update.  The shelter I was working in is now closed because all sheltering needs have been met in that particular area. Now I am supervising the Back Data Entry Unit at Baton Rouge Headquarters. I have really enjoyed this job. It works like this: caseworkers are now meeting with families on an individual basis to assess their needs following the hurricane.

My wife Sheila and I have been in Bay Town, Texas, not far from Galveston, for a week now. I can easily say that this assignment is the most challenging that I have experienced as a Red Cross volunteer. The community still has no electricity or running water. Gas lines continue to be 3-5 miles long. The Red Cross is going to be here for a long time to come. We're needed here and I hope that the people who live in these communities aren't forgotten.