On a day like today, when snow blankets the ground and the temperature struggles to find double digits, it’s hard to walk from the office to the car, let alone stand outside for hours at a time. But for the policemen, firefighters, EMT, and emergency personnel who responded to today’s ABB Power Plant Shooting, that’s exactly what they had to do.

 

And that’s why the Red Cross was there to help. Today, the St. Louis Area Chapter sent out several Disaster Action Teams (DAT) to the ABB Power Plant site to canteen for the first responders. I was one of several who volunteered to help out. My team arrived around 11:30 a.m. and we stayed for a few hours passing out coffee, hot chocolate, snacks and lunch to the responders working the scene. We had several DAT crews at separate locations around the plant to make sure all of the responders and ABB employees were taken care of. Many of them had been on the scene since 6 or 7 in the morning and hadn’t been able to eat all day. Needless to say, they were incredibly appreciative. It’s amazing to see what a hot drink, slice of pizza and “thank you” can do. 

 

I left the scene around 3 p.m. and our volunteers will continue to canteen as long as necessary.

 

Helping the responders battle the cold temperatures was how we spent our day, but it was only a small portion of a very large team effort. It’s horrible to have to see it happen given the circumstances, but watching some of the St. Louis area’s finest come together and work as a team was really something. It was a privilege to be a part of the effort and to be able to help.

 

My prayers go out to the ABB Power Plant employees, and the family and friends of everyone involved.

 

Cindy