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Relief Efforts Persist as Third Hurricane Looms
Written by
Bonnie Gillespie
, Staff Writer and Photographer, RedCross.org
Monday, September 13, 2004 — Punta Gorda, Florida – Along a 45-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 17 in southwest Florida, every other house is draped in a bright blue tarp, as mangled rooftops and curbsides lined with piles of twisted debris offer vivid reminders of the wrath of recent hurricanes.
Houses draped in tarps like this one near Arcadia are a common sight in Florida.
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Now, with monstrous Hurricane Ivan swirling into the Gulf, storm-weary Floridians scramble to prepare again, though many homes and businesses were never unboarded after hurricanes Charley and Frances roared through the state only weeks ago, leaving more than 50 dead and countless homes and lives in disarray.
Yet Florida residents are far from alone in their plight – in just the past month, almost 16,000 American Red Cross volunteers have stepped up to both lend a hand and a shoulder of support to residents in the hard-hit Sunshine State. And even as Ivan approaches, their work continues, supplying hot meals, water, shelter, cleaning supplies and emotional and financial support to hurricane victims.
“We are going to keep delivering services as long as possible before Ivan arrives,” said Shelley Szafraniec, a Red Cross worker with Florida’s Coast to Coast chapter. “We are stocking our mobile feeding trucks with heater meals and MRE’s so we can continue to provide for families in need no matter what the next storm brings.”
Grappling with power outages and hurricane damage of their own, plus sporadic phone and internet service, volunteers with Florida’s Coast to Coast chapter typify the persevering spirit of Red Cross workers.
Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicles distributed millions of bottles of water to grateful recipients, like this young Daytona resident.
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“We’re doing all we can but are so blessed to have Red Cross volunteers from all over the nation that came here to help us,” said Irene Noden of Daytona Beach, whose damaged home isn’t deterring her service as a Red Cross volunteer. “We have local people, too, who don’t have power or phones and whose homes were destroyed that walk in the front door asking, ‘How can I help?’”
Red Cross volunteers from 26 states and Canada are assisting the Daytona-based chapter in relief efforts, as thousands in their region and across Florida now face treacherous flooding and ongoing power outages in the wakes of Charley and Frances. More than 255,000 Floridians are still without power amid the sweltering summer heat, and many rural parts of the state will reportedly remain in the dark for months.
But the lingering effects don’t end there. Boil-water notices continue for 13 counties, almost 300,000 people are without telephone service and twenty-one Florida schools are closed. Gas shortages hamper regions relying on generator power, and floodwaters have prompted warnings in six counties, many of which already suffered severe storm damage.
Working Tirelessly to Meet Needs
However, as needs persist, so does the work of the Red Cross. More than 200 Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicles continue to canvass hard-hit communities throughout Florida and have distributed more than 5 million meals and snacks to hurricane victims in recent weeks.
Family Service volunteers have met with 12,500 families seeking Red Cross assistance, while medical professionals with Red Cross Health Services have helped meet the physical needs of almost 14,000 hurricane victims.
Carol Bartlett of Punta Gorda shows a Red Cross worker the extensive damage to her family’s home.
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Red Cross Mental Health Counselors have made 22,000 contacts with affected residents needing emotional and psychological support, and with anxieties now heightened as Ivan nears, their services expand as many Floridians struggle to cope.
“This is very, very stressful,” said Carol Bartlett of Punta Gorda, who lost her home during Hurricane Charley. “It’s too much for some people and they’re beginning to snap.”
“But I’m going to be alright,” she added, with a smile. “I went to the Red Cross center here and got what I needed to help me make a deposit on a new place for me and my family to live. This is all like sort of a test, and we have to do our best to keep a positive attitude and get through it. But without the help of the Red Cross and others that care, we couldn’t do it. ”
You can help the victims of these storms, floods 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). 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 our Online Donation Page.
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