Back By Jennifer A. Bowen While Hurricane Ivan bashed the Gulf Coast, Patrick Keena was double-checking his luggage to be sure he had everything he needed for a trip to the disaster area. Keena returned home from helping with Red Cross disaster operations for hurricanes Charley and Frances last Sunday and headed back out Friday morning to Alabama to help with disaster relief for Hurricane Ivan. “I never even unpacked my bags from hurricanes Charley and Frances,” Keena, 44, of Scott Air Force Base said.  “This is something I have to do, rather than something I need to do.  It’s in my nature to help people.” The stay-at-home father of two was an EMT and a CPR instructor before he decided helping people hit by disaster was what he wanted to do.  He has been an active volunteer with the American Red Cross for 25 years and became involved in disaster-relief efforts about 12 years ago. Keena’s wife, Air Force 1st Lt. Lisa Keena, was stationed at Scott Air Force Base about two years ago. “My wife does worry about me, especially when I am on call for two or three days and then they put you down there in the middle of a hurricane like Frances,” Keena said.  “I’ve been very, very fortunate that I have an understanding wife so I can do these things to help people.” Keena missed his 5-year old daughter’s first day of kindergarten because he was helping victims of Hurricane Charley and has missed three of her birthdays.  He spent nine weeks in New York helping the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. He averages about three major disasters a year, Keena said.  Hurricane Ivan is the fourth disaster he’s helped with this year, including aiding West Virginian flood victims in June. All totaled, he’s been on the scene of 27 major national disasters during his years as a volunteer with the Red Cross. The work he does with disaster victims makes some of the things he misses at home a little easier. “I can’t describe what a good feeling it is to help someone,” he said.  “Handing a bottle of water or a plate of food to someone is something that is tangible, right then and there.  I’ve helped someone for that moment.” As a mass care coordinator, Keena helps victims find shelter and food and makes sure supplies are distributed where they are needed the most. “My specialty is hands-on help,” he said.  “I like to be out there feeding people, getting dirty and helping people do whatever we can do.” After 12 years of seeing Mother Nature at her very worst, Keena knows what to expect when he arrives in Alabama. “Trees will be flat.  Roofs will be missing from homes.  There will be power outages, and the flooding will be bad,” he said.  “Hurricanes are dirty disasters.  With the flooding, there is a lot of sewer backup and the odor is usually very, very potent.” “And most of all, people will be in shock as they figure out what direction their lives are going to go after the devastation.” The Red Cross opened more than 600 shelters for more than 285,000 people in Florida for hurricanes Charley and Frances and served more than 5 million meals and snacks, one of the largest feeding and sheltering efforts in Red Cross history, according to Stephen Hall, a spokesman for the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter. For Hurricane Ivan, the Red Cross already has opened more than 190 shelters and more than 126,000 people have sought shelter so far. “That area hasn’t been hit by a hurricane for so long that it has been kind of complacent in preparing for one,” Keena said of the Gulf Coast.  “It’s going to be a long time before they get back on their feet.” This story may be available for an Adobe Acrobat PDF download. Click on the link below to visit the site download center. If a PDF is available, the file will automatically open in your browser.

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