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It’s been three years since the Gulf Coast was devastated by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. Today, the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago has disaster relief workers on standby to deploy and assist with disaster relief efforts that may result from Hurricane Gustav. Workers are expected to deploy as early as this afternoon.
American Red Cross of Greater Chicago disaster relief workers remember their role in the Hurricane Katrina recovery effort. Vern Estes was a shelter coordinator in Hammond Louisiana and was responsible for three shelters, 1,000 people and 60 volunteers. “It woke me up,” Estes said. “To this day I don’t waste anything. Just to see the masses of people in New Orleans who needed and could not get, who wanted and just didn’t have.
Many were deployed to the affected area to help and still more stayed in their own backyard to help the thousands of evacuees who came in droves to the Chicagoland area. Another local Red Cross volunteer Keri Ellis fielded phone calls from around the country. “The chapter is always a busy place, but it was just insane. During the thick of it, I returned hundreds of phone calls every day. That was one of the main priorities—to make sure that we called every one of those people back.”
In addition to sending relief workers to the disaster zone in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago assisted more than 7,000 people who came to Chicago in search of refuge. In an average year the charity helps 5,000 people in Chicagoland. The charity was part of a coordinated effort by many area nonprofits who came together at Fosco Park to provide immediate and long term needs for these disaster victims. In addition to working with community partners at Fosco Park, American Red Cross of Greater Chicago volunteers staffed local airports to welcome and care for Hurricane Katrina survivors, many of whom had no idea where they were going until they got on the plane.
About the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago
The American Red Cross of Greater Chicago serves more than 8.3 million people in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties through the support and generous contributions of individuals, corporations, foundations, and the United Way. For more information, call 312-729-6100 or visit www.chicagoredcross.org.
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