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“I’d Do It Again Tomorrow”
Brendan Magnus, Special to RedCross.org
Wednesday, December 07, 2005 — PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The impact of Hurricane Katrina was felt well beyond the boarders of Louisiana and Mississippi. The loss of life, property and sense of place touched us all, prompting an outpouring of prayers and donations from every corner of the country.
The reaction of Lou and Ginny Lantzy, a married couple from Turtle Creek, Pa., was no different than most. They wanted to help. But, rather than simply writing a check, their support came in the form of a helping hand.
“We knew the situation along the Gulf Coast would be bad and we felt an obligation to help these people who had lost so much,” explains Lou, a volunteer firefighter with years of experience helping fire victims. “When Hurricane Ivan caused massive flooding across western Pennsylvania last September, Ginny and I saw first-hand how devastating a massive flood can be. We knew this would be a lot worse.”
Soon after the remnants of Katrina swept north, the Lantzy’s were contacted by the local chapter of the American Red Cross and days later were on their way to Lake Charles, La., in an emergency response vehicle to begin offering relief.
The Lantzy’s ran reconnaissance missions for a week and a half, during which time Lou estimates they provided food and water to 5,000 – 6,000 evacuees. They then spent the remainder of their volunteer deployment just outside of New Orleans, where they witnessed the harshest affects of the storm.
“The damage was just tremendous,” recalls Ginny. “But I’m so glad we were able to offer our assistance. And I’m grateful to the Red Cross for all that they did for the thousands of people who lost everything. I’ll admit, I was a little nervous about the trip at first, but looking back at all the good we did, I’d do it again tomorrow if I had to.”
Lou reaction was similar to Ginny’s.
“We couldn’t have offered our support in a better way, and we couldn’t have done it without the American Red Cross.”
Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Brendan works at public relations firm Gibbs & Soell in New York City.
All American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. You can help the victims of thousands of disasters across the country each year, disasters like the Midwest ice storms, 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 victims of disaster. The American Red Cross honors donor intent. If you wish to designate your donation to a specific disaster please do so at the time of your donation. Call 1-800-REDCROSS or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P. O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting www.redcross.org.
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