|
From Hurricane Katrina Survivor to Red Cross Employee
Janice Vannatta helps other survivors make it through recovery
Friday, October 12, 2007 — Many people outside Hattiesburg do not know the life-changing effect that Hurricane Katrina had on this small Mississippi town, home to the University of Southern Mississippi. Nicknamed the Hub City, it is a center for evacuees during any Gulf hurricane.
Janice Vannatta
Photo credit: Quentin Hunstad/American Red Cross
|
During Hurricane Katrina, Hattiesburg, which is only an hour from the coast, was hit hard by the storm. One resident in particular saw the course of her entire life changed by that storm.
Janice Vannatta was a longtime resident of Hattiesburg living with her husband and four children. After Katrina hit, Janice started volunteering with the Red Cross. When the executive director of the South Central Mississippi Chapter retired, Janice was offered the job.
Janice had managed two nonprofit organizations prior to joining the chapter, and she knew the meaning of hard work and dedication. Since taking over the chapter, she has had her work cut out for her. Few people outside the area realize how hard it was hit by the storm. By working directly with members of the American Red Cross Hurricane Recovery Program (HRP), Janice quickly understood the importance of the program for her chapter and the area.
"The Hurricane Recovery Program has been a blessing from the moment it started here in Hattiesburg," Vannatta said. "They have become a very visible and integral part of the recovery process and a symbol for those who have suffered so much and felt they were being overlooked in the recovery process."
With nine counties in the chapter’s service area, chapter employees are reaching out far and wide to those still needing help recovering from Katrina. Vannatta knows the area has a long way to go before it can be considered fully recovered. She also knows that the partnerships formed between government agencies, nonprofit organizations and the private sector will return South Mississippi to its pre-Katrina glory.
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.
Related Content:
|
