Super Typhoon Sinlaku: We Thank the Hundreds of Volunteers Making the Long Journey to Help on the Islands

Woman in Red Cross vest stands in a street with her camera.

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Samantha Taylor, a member of the Red Cross National Headquarters Communications staff, was part of the first wave of disaster workers to reach the islands as part of the team responding to Super Typhoon Sinlaku.

People arrive at an airport with their luggage

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The long trip over, Red Cross responders arrive at Saipan International Airport. They will join the disaster responders currently on the ground in Saipan to help communities recover from damage caused by Super Typhoon Sinlaku. Photo by: Scott Marder/American Red Cross

Woman in Red Cross vest sits at a desk talking to a man in a Red Cross vest

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Red Crosser Kirsti Dunn, from Washington State, talks with another disaster responder in the Red Cross Saipan Chapter office. Photo by Scott Marder/American Red Cross.

Two men, one sitting, one standing, have a discussion

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Red Cross disaster team members Chris Abatte and Oscar Petterson at work in the Red Cross Saipan Chapter office. Photo by Scott Marder/American Red Cross.

Man in Red Cross baseball hat and vest sits behind a computer.

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Red Crosser David Guitierrez at work in the Red Cross Saipan Chapter office, as the Red Cross works with community partners and local governments to help residents affected by Super Typhoon Sinlaku. Photo 26 by Scott Marder/American Red Cross.

Man in Red Cross vest walks down a street

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Scott Geibel is a new Red Cross volunteer from Rockville, Maryland now serving in Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands following Super Typhoon Sinlaku. This is his first disaster response deployment. After recently retiring from a career that included months-long international assignments, Scott signed up with the Red Cross in December, looking for a meaningful way to keep serving. When the call came, he answered. On this operation, Scott is working the overnight shift in a shelter, from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., supporting residents as communities begin to recover. “I just hope to be useful in any way I can,” he said.

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Jayne Dey traveled from Kansas to help and was amazed at the generosity and kindness she experienced from people in the shelter. Families she had just met treated her like someone they already knew. They shared meals with her, checked on her and, over time, brought her into the rhythms of daily life inside the shelter. Dey has spent much of her life working with people, as a teacher, a coach and now as a volunteer who answers calls for the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline. On deployments, she chooses roles where she can stay close to the people she’s serving. “I don’t want to be a supervisor,” she said. “I want to be on the ground with my people.” In Saipan, that meant listening, helping and being present as families navigated the days after the storm. “They’ve lost everything,” she said. “And they’re still the most kind, compassionate people.” When she leaves, it won’t just be the work she remembers, but the people who made space for her in the middle of it even as they were still recovering themselves.

Woman in black Red Cross tee shirt with stethoscope around her neck

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Retired nurse Carol Van Arsdale traveled from Florida to help people on the islands. She has deployed 11 times, most recently to Tinian. Here, she serves as a nurse in a shelter, helping residents manage chronic conditions, replace lost medications and navigate the challenges of disaster recovery. Photo by: Scott Marder/American Red Cross.

Two women in Red Cross vests sit outside at a table talking

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Michelle Mach is a retired educator who traveled to the islands from Germantown, Maryland. Pictured with volunteer Zoe King, Michelle loves working in Red Cross shelters, on the front lines helping people. Whether it is sitting on the floor reading stories to kids, helping them with art projects or just lending a listening ear or a warm hug to their parents, Michelle is there to help others. Photo by: Scott Marder/American Red Cross.

Man in Red Cross vest and baseball hat sits and talks with another man in a vest.

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Peter King, an 81-year-old Red Cross volunteer from New York, talks with a fellow volunteer while working in a shelter on Tinian. “It’s where two Red Cross volunteers are strangers at breakfast and friends by dinner.” For him, the relationships built in moments like this are part of what keeps him coming back, even as he reflects on what may be his final deployment. “This will probably be my last one… a terrific swan song.” While supporting families in the shelter, he’s been struck by the strength of the local community. “They are polite, friendly… civility is a universal language. The community is strong and neighborly. Life has been good to me, and I’m giving back… I want to leave the world better than I found it.” Photo by: Scott Marder/American Red Cross.

April 30, 2026

Our volunteers are once again putting on their Red Cross vests to do what they do best ─ take care of people who need support and comfort.

It’s been more than two weeks since Super Typhoon Sinlaku devastated parts of Guam and the Mariana Islands. Saipan and Tinian saw widespread destruction from the storm and hundreds of American Red Cross disaster workers are there, working around the clock to help people impacted by this powerful typhoon. storm.

Who are these volunteers who dropped everything and made the trip to the islands to help? They are true humanitarians who traveled thousands of miles during a journey that for many was an entire day ─ 24 hours or more ─ to get to where they would be part of a team with one purpose ─ to make sure folks on the islands were taken care of.

Samantha Taylor, a member of the Communications staff at Red Cross National Headquarters, holds the role senior program manager for Disaster Public Affairs. She arrived on Guam before the storm hit, part of the first wave of Red Crossers to reach the islands, and offered some insight into her deployment.

“When I was selected to deploy to Guam ahead of now Super Typhoon Sinlaku, I knew it was going to be a long trek. One 15-hour plane ride to Tokyo and another four-hour flight from Tokyo to Guam,” Sam reported. “Two calendar days after my departure from Washington, DC. I arrived tired, running on roughly two hours of sleep, but I couldn’t wait to start working.”

On April 16 the storm had passed and the airport reopened. Flights carrying more Red Crossers began to arrive from Japan, South Korea and Hawaii where they had waited out the storm. It was determined the major damage was on Saipan and Tinian. Teams of shelter workers, damage assessment teams and mass care teams were assembled to go to Saipan as soon as possible.

Sam was the point of contact for volunteers to report back on where people were, what kind of help they needed and where most of the damage was on each island. “The hard part was seeing all of the imagery of the devastation from Sinlaku and not being able to offer anything other than sympathies,” Sam said. “It was incredibly frustrating and, as someone who has a lot to say most of the time, left me nearly speechless without knowing what to say. If you ask me on any random day, I would tell you I am very proud to be a Red Crosser,” she said. “Today, I would tell you I am incredibly proud to be a Red Crosser and to serve alongside so many who are eager to relieve human suffering.”

For Carol Van Arsdale, Atlantis, Florida, becoming a nurse was a childhood calling paired with a dream of one day serving with the American Red Cross. After four decades in the nursing field, she is now living that dream.

“This is actually my love, here with the Red Cross,” the retired nurse said. In just two and a half years as a volunteer, Carol has deployed 11 times, most recently to Tinian. Here, she serves as a nurse in a shelter, helping residents manage chronic conditions, replace lost medications and navigate the challenges of disaster recovery. Her work is both clinical and deeply personal. On a typical day, she checks blood pressure and blood sugar levels, treats minor injuries and monitors for illness in close living conditions.

But some of her most meaningful moments come from advocacy and connection. She recalls helping an 85-year-old woman and her daughter secure a tent after they were initially denied one due to a language barrier. After stepping in and working with local partners, Carol was able to help them get what they needed. “When I called her to tell her, she was crying,” Carol said. “We were all crying.” Experiences like that define her service. Whether replacing medication for an elderly fire survivor back home or supporting families in disaster zones, Carol sees each interaction as a chance to make a tangible difference.

Her deployment to Tinian stands out. She describes the island as tight knit, resilient and welcoming, even in the face of hardship. “It’s been one of the pleasures of my life to be here,” she said.

JOIN US The Red Cross will be helping in the weeks to come, working with partners to help ensure people get the support they need. Our efforts to help and support people continue. Planes are arriving loaded with relief supplies. New disaster volunteers are making that long journey and putting their Red Cross vest on once again to do what they do best ─ take care of people who need support and comfort as they try to get back on their feet.

Are you passionate about helping others? Join our team of changemakers who are working together to make a real impact. With a wide range of volunteer opportunities available, there’s a role for everyone. Get involved today and be part of the solution. Visit here for more information.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.