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Shelter from the Storm
by Winnie Romeril, Special to RedCross.org
Sunday, April 22, 2007 — Barbara Beigel, a staffer at the Bergen-Hudson Chapter of the American Red Cross worked throughout the early morning hours of April 15 helping to set up shelters and comfort communities displaced by the rising flood waters from the spring nor'easter storm. Financial development workers like Beigel may have an underserved reputation for being serious, humorless people. But once officially off the job for the Red Cross, Beigel transformed herself into Glitter the Clown.
Glitter the Clown and Daisy D Dots with kids in the shelter.
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"I came home this morning, put on my makeup, and called my friend Daisy D Dots and told her we had work to do," beams Glitter with a red heart on her nose and bright baggy clothes. The two clowns belong to the Red Nose Response Team (www.rednoseresponse.org) that is partnering with the Red Cross to lift spirits during hard times.
"Of course the kids in the shelter love us," chimes in Daisy D (for Dee-lightful) Dots, as she twists a balloon into a butterfly and delivers it into tiny eagerly reaching hands. "Our performances are for the adults too, just so they can take their mind off what happened for a little while. They've been through so much and have to stay strong for their kids. Clowning breaks the tension and helps them relax so they can make it through the next part."
"They evacuated us at 3 A.M. from our houses," says Bergen shelter resident Felipe Rodrigez, who fled his home in the middle of the night with his three children and wife, Carolyn. "We were in the Lodi shelter first, until the power went off. Then they moved us here," he relates as his 15-month old son Noah squirms in his stroller. "Everyone at the Red Cross has treated us real nice."
Entering this shelter, like any of the 35 others that have been open during the course of this powerful storm throughout the Northeast, is a surreal experience. Red Cross workers, CERT teams and Bergen Community College staff busily get meals ready, respond to residents needs for diapers and other supplies, and listen compassionately to the many dramatic stories. With waters still waist-high and in some places rising with the next high tide, officials won't let many residents back home yet.
"I have talked to a lot of people who came here feeling concerned about their personal situations," says Denise Andersen, Assistant Chapter Executive for Public Support of the Bergen-Hudson Chapter. "They're glad to be warm and dry and safe—that's the most important thing for them—to have a place to go where they feel safe."
"Here, children see that people care about them without even knowing them," Daisy D Dots concludes. "It's really great to be a part of that."
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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