Red Cross volunteer Deb Blaze embracing Gilbert Amik at the Alaska Airlines Center shelter in Anchorage, AK. Gilbert and his family were evacuated from the village of Kipnuk after the remnants of Typhoon Halong destroyed their home.
By Ryan Lang, American Red Cross
Deb Blaze has been an American Red Cross volunteer for three years. In that short time, she’s been on more than a dozen disaster relief deployments, including twice for Hurricane Helene in both North and South Carolina in late September 2024. She’s primarily worked as a shelter volunteer, which was her assignment for the Typhoon Halong relief effort in Alaska.
This one, for Deb, felt different from the start. “Having been in so many shelters, this has got to be the one where I have been touched the most,” Deb said. “The people are so spiritual. They recognize in one another a brother and sister,” she explained, talking about the connection the people of the village of Kipnuk have.
Gilbert Amik (left) and his mother, Carrie (center), sitting with Red Cross volunteer Deb Blaze.
Kipnuk is one of the villages along the west coast of Alaska that was devastated by the remnants of Typhoon Halong. The storm hit the region on October 12, 2025, forcing dozens of families to evacuate their homes – for some, the only homes they’ve ever known. Gilbert Amik and his mother, Carrie, were among those who were evacuated, first to a shelter in Bethel. From there, Gilbert, his mother, and dozens of other village residents were flown to Anchorage where the Red Cross established two shelters – one at the William A. Egan Convention Center downtown and the other at the Alaska Airlines Center at the University of Alaska Anchorage.
“I still can’t believe we lost our place,” Gilbert said. “But help is here and I will move forward from here.” A big part of that help for Gilbert has been Deb. “I am just so grateful for her and the Red Cross,” Gilbert said, noticeably emotional, as he sat on his Red Cross-provided cot inside the gym at the Alaska Airlines Center. “She looks out for me. She knows my size,” Gilbert said, referring to the clothes that have been donated for residents, most who had to leave behind everything as they were being evacuated from their homes.
“This is the best part about what I do,” Deb said, as she talked about her bond with Gilbert. “The moments we’ve had and shared have been divinely inspired. I feel like we were supposed to meet.” In response, Gilbert said, “That makes me feel more motivated to do more things. It gives me a lot of hope.”
When asked about the friendship between Gilbert and Deb, Carrie said, “It’s more than that. You’re my family.”
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