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Hurricane Survivor Inspired to Help Others
Donna Carter lost her home to Katrina, but gained a new life thanks partly to Red Cross assistance.
Thursday, September 20, 2007 — Donna Carter lost her home and belongings after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans two years ago. But in spite of her hardships and difficulties, she was determined to get her life back on track.
“There were some folks who gave up hope and didn’t want to keep going, but I was not one of them,” Donna says. “I could focus on the negative things, but I stay positive. The hurricane changed my whole perspective on life and what’s important.”
Immediately after the storm, Donna was less worried about losing her possessions than about ensuring that her family was alive and safe. Like the other members of her family, Donna had been forced to evacuate and had left New Orleans. She stayed with friends for a few weeks, then made do by living with people who essentially opened their homes to survivors.
“I was living with a lady who allowed several of us to live in her home,” she says. “I learned not to take certain things for granted, especially people’s kindness.”
Ready to Get Started
Over time, Donna decided she wanted to draw on her experience from Katrina and help other people. She moved to Gonzales, Louisiana, and began volunteering as a phone counselor for Baton Rouge Crisis Intervention. Many of the callers were Katrina survivors, and Donna could relate to some of the problems they were experiencing.
“By helping other survivors, I realized how blessed I was,” she says. “I learned that many people were worse off than I was.”
While volunteering, Donna learned about the Red Cross Hurricane Recovery Program. When she was hired by American #1 Company, a marketing and sales firm, Donna contacted Sakina Johnson, a client recovery specialist case manager with the HRP, because she needed a car to commute to work and clothing for her new job.
“When I met Donna, she was serious and eager about getting her life back together,” Sakina says. “She was ready to get started and willing to do anything she could to help the process.”
Within a month, Donna had received the resources needed to buy a used car and purchase clothes for her job. She is now well on her way to a full recovery, with a new job, a car to drive to work, and a place to live—all thanks to the assistance of the American Red Cross.
“You always think that a disaster like this could never happen to you and your family,” she says, “but it can. When it happens, you have many mental and emotional adjustments to make in your life. Preparedness is the key.”
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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