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Needs Persist in Hurricane Disaster Area
Written by
Bonnie Gillespie
, Staff Writer and Photographer, RedCross.org
Thursday, August 19, 2004 — PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – Baking in the intense afternoon sun, Red Cross volunteer and kitchen manager Cathy Reed wipes her brow as she scans the line of Emergency Response Vehicles (ERVs) returning from delivering hot food, water and emergency supplies to hurricane-ravaged neighborhoods. The kitchen is the hub of activity for northern Port Charlotte mobile feeding activities for the Red Cross, and Reed and her team of volunteers are unyielding in their efforts to ensure the needs of southwest Floridians are met.
Throughout the areas devastated by Hurricane Charley, seven mobile kitchens operated by both the Red Cross and Southern Baptists are working virtually around the clock, readying food for delivery three times a day. An astounding 135,000 meals were served to hurricane victims on Wednesday alone, but the Red Cross is asking for much-needed financial contributions to support ongoing relief efforts in Florida.
Thousands of Hurricane Charley victims are still struggling to cope, daily facing the daunting tasks of debris removal and clean-up, home repairs or relocation, unemployment or even death of a loved one or neighbor. Nine counties across the “Sunshine State” were hard-hit by the storm, but power, water and telephone company crews are working overtime to restore services to hundreds of thousands of residents.
Red Cross volunteers wash out empty food containers. |
But even after the conveniences and necessities of life return, Hurricane Charley victims face a greater obstacle -- dealing with the trauma and long-term emotional impact of losing their homes and sense of security and stability to the disaster.
“I think what’s really going to be hard is when people get all the help they can – from FEMA, from their insurance, from every organization they can – and it still won’t be enough to give them back their lives,” said Jane Quinn, a Red Cross Mental Health Services volunteer from California.
Trained Red Cross counselors like Quinn are stationed throughout the region – at feeding stations, in shelters, at the kitchens – and in coming days will be reaching out to victims directly in their neighborhoods, lending support and encouragement to residents throughout the coping process.
“People here seem to be in a state of shock,” said Cheri Lundbald, a Red Cross volunteer from the Central Vermont/New Hampshire Valley Chapter. “They knew something was coming but never expected something so horrific.”
After the storm, residents try to keep their spirits up. |
Lundbald and other Red Cross volunteers have been spending nights alongside displaced victims in Red Cross shelters and are witnessing up-close the plight of hurricane survivors. Yet, Lundbald and other Emergency Response Vehicle drivers report the overwhelming gratitude of those receiving meals and comfort kits, despite their situation.
“We’ve driven up many times to people with lots of visible damage to their homes, and they thank us but then ask for us to give it to the people who are in worse shape,” she said. “And that’s the kind of generosity we’ve encountered.
Along with Lundbald, more than 1,400 Red Cross volunteers from across the nation are on the ground in Florida, working diligently to reach residents with disaster relief services.
However, immense needs persist. You can help the victims of Hurricane Charley and thousands of other disasters across the country each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to those in need. Call 1-800-HELP NOW or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting our Online Donation Page.
Those affected directly by the storm should call 1-866-GET-INFO to register with the Red Cross for disaster assistance.
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