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Picking up the Pieces
Jenni Hawes, Special to RedCross.org
Monday, April 30, 2007 — Surrounded by pallets of cased water, Rosa Gutierrez of Bound Brook, New Jersey, shared her family’s living nightmare regarding the recent community floods. Their home’s basement and entire first floor were destroyed and filled with over 5 feet of contaminated flood water. “I can’t give my children what they need and that saddens me and breaks my heart. My home is not a home anymore; I have to start over. I have nothing but my family.”
Rosa Gutierrez, center, and Antony Gutierrez, right, get cases of water from the American Red Cross.
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Rosa’s eyes filled with tears as she gazed at her 19 month old son, Antony, who was sitting in his stroller smiling and giggling. With his only toy in hand, a stuffed butterfly, and his stained Superman shirt, he was completely innocent to the world around him. Antony couldn’t be happier in that moment of time and it was such a contrast to his mother’s raw emotion and resilience. She lived the reality of the situation and was determined to get her family through it.
She bravely smiled as she was loading up Antony’s stroller with cases of water for her family and sharing how the American Red Cross had given her the start to pick up the broken pieces and start over.
“The Red Cross gives us hope and help. My babies have water and food,” said Gutierrez as tears of gratitude slipped down her cheek.
Rosa and her family are one of many whose lives have been transformed by this week’s recent ravage of Mother Nature.
Jonathan Salas shared his family’s history of survival from a local Red Cross Service Center in Bound Brook. Seven years ago, Jonathan’s family lived through a similar disastrous flood in the Bound Brook area and fully recovered. Jonathan and his family just recently moved into their new home two weeks when the flooding occurred once again. Nonchalantly Jonathan said, “We survived seven years ago and we will continue to survive today.”
Jonathan’s family showed such appreciation for all the community’s support and Red Cross disaster relief services. Sala’s stated, “Everyone needs a little help now and than and I appreciate all the Red Cross has done for us. They were there then and they are here now. It is a comfort to me and my family.”
Each family said they would continue to move on and grow strong from their experiences with love, hope and most importantly a little help from the Red Cross.
The American Red Cross helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Last year, almost a million volunteers and 35,000 employees helped victims of almost 75,000 disasters; taught lifesaving skills to millions; and helped U.S. service members separated from their families stay connected. Almost 4 million people gave blood through the Red Cross, the largest supplier of blood and blood products in the United States. The American Red Cross is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. An average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it relies on donations of time, money, and blood to do its work.
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