When news of the approaching Hurricane Isaac spread, Red Cross members from across the nation joined to provide shelter, clothing, food, and moral support to those who would soon be forced to vacate their homes. Carl Riley, who has been a member of the American Red Cross for over a decade and currently serves as a Crisis Duty Worker at the Southeastern Michigan Region chapter, was among the deployed volunteers.

Carl, who hadn’t been part of a disaster relief team since Hurricane Katrina, was up and ready for the task. Designated “Mass Care Associate” as part of the family services team, Carl left for Louisiana on the 26^th of August, giving the crew enough time to open a shelter in Port Allen before Isaac struck. Their main concern was setting up cots and providing food; Carl was assigned to the kitchen where his job was to ensure that everyone was fed. There were close to 170 people in the shelter, and food was provided three times a day. “We all ate the same thing; cold ready meals, kind of like the food they eat in the military,” Carl recalls.

Carl also helped with mental health in terms of emotional and moral support. Since he and his team were pre-deployed, they dealt with fear-ridden families who were uncertain about the severity of the damage their homes would soon suffer. Luckily for them, Port Allen was not as affected by Isaac as other areas – power outages and minimal flooding was the extent of the storm for the residences of this particular region.

After the storm passed through Port Allen, Carl and his team headed to their next assignment in Gonzales, Louisiana. Their destination was an expo center, also known as a “mega shelter”. Carl’s job was to sign people in and out of the facility. 250 people were brought in at 2:00AM, and everyone was registered by 4:30AM. He reflects that although the work at this setting was more tedious it was also more rewarding, simply because he was able to talk to people and be exposed to their experiences. By the time they arrived in Gonzales the hurricane had already taken its toll, so it was now a matter of dealing with the aftermath.

“It was dramatically different than Katrina,” Carl says. He explains that the service was far more expedient with Isaac because what happened during Katrina was simply not expected to happen. In addition, Carl lets us in on what he believes to be a blessing in disguise: the storm was not as bad as it could have been because of the pre-existing drought. “The Mississippi River was well below its normal level so Isaac basically filled it up.”

Throughout Carl’s stay in Louisiana, he was fascinated by one particular encounter. A family of eight – a mother, father, and their six children – came to the shelter from La Place, Louisiana after losing everything. The mother continued to practice her daily routines at the shelter. In the morning, she would wake her children, sit them down, and bring them breakfast. To keep them entertained, she drew hopscotch lines on the shelter floor – the venue was spacious enough for them to freely frolic about. The mother also maintained daily communication exercises: she would read to them, and then would ask each of them to express what they gathered from the story. Each family member would then be applauded by the others. When it was time to shut down the Gonzales shelter, the entire Red Cross team approached the family to express how deeply they admired the woman for keeping her family together in the midst of such a disaster.

Carl believes that these experiences alter the perception of the Red Cross by accurately portraying what the organization is essentially about. He recommends that each Red Cross worker take the opportunity to contribute to a disaster relief assignment and extends his sincerest gratitude to everyone who made it possible for him to be a part of this team.

“People come in crying but leave with a smile on their face because of the work and compassion that the Red Cross offers. I love what I do and that’s the bottom line.”

Filed under: Disaster, Emergency Preparedness, Floods, Hurricane, National American Red Cross, Service to the Armed Forces, Southeastern Michigan Chapter, Volunteer | Tagged: American Red Cross, Carl Riley, Crisis Duty, Disaster Relief, Family, Flooding, Gonzales, Hurricane Isaac, La Place, Louisiana, michigan, Port Allen, Shelter, southeastern Michigan, Support, Volunteer | Leave a Comment »