The woman, and many of her neighbors, had been eating only canned food and storing very limited perishables in coolers since a hurricane had hit their homes weeks before, American Red Cross volunteer Melody Heilmann says. She chokes up as she recalls the woman screaming at the top of her lungs with joy when she was told she qualified for financial assistance from the Red Cross, “Oh my god, I can get a refrigerator now!” The woman was one of many people that Melody helped while volunteering for the Red Cross three years ago during Hurricane Ian.
This assignment was one of eight times Melody has responded to a disaster with the Red Cross, including after the wildfires in Chico, Calif. and Lahaina, Hawaii. Arriving just two days after the catastrophic fires in Hawaii, Melody vividly recalls people who arrived at the shelter still covered in soot and missing their shoes because they lost them when they fled from the deadly blaze. Although it can be very sad to meet people at what might be the worst time of their lives, seeing how the Red Cross helps them is very rewarding.
In late September 2022, Hurricane Ian’s destructive winds and deadly flooding battered Florida, displacing thousands of people and creating tremendous need. Even though the hurricane had hit in September, Melody and the Red Cross were still on the ground in Florida in November and December of that year, helping people get back on their feet.
At the time, Melody, who is a retired highway patrol officer based in Santa Cruz, Calif., served as a Red Cross Recovery Intake Service Associate volunteer. She was tasked with helping affected people access financial assistance and community resources.
American Red Cross volunteer Melody Heilmann
When she arrived in Daytona Beach, Florida, Melody noticed there were no tourists in the beachfront hotels. The neighborhood she worked in was eerie because many of the homes they saw were “a total loss” meaning they were damaged beyond repair, but right across the street some homes seemed untouched by the disaster. She and her team went door to door in a mobile home park where they saw many people taking shelter in badly damaged homes.
“There was a lot of debris, a lot of abandoned cars,” from the flooding and storm surges, she said.
A Red Crosser walks down a street lined with wet furniture, appliances and personal items removes from people’s homes after Hurricane Ian. Photo by Jodi Long/American Red Cross. October 9, 2022.
Although Melody was out in the community as a Recovery Intake Service Associate in Florida, residents are typically able to visit the community center or shelter to explore recovery options with the Red Cross. But Melody’s team had realized that many people lacked transportation to reach them and that is why they decided to go door to door. Being flexible about where you work, how you do your job and troubleshooting when obstacles arise, are essential parts of being a Red Cross volunteer, according to Melody.
If you would like more information about being a Red Cross volunteer, including serving after a disaster like Melody, please visit redcross.org/volunteer to learn more.
Support all the urgent humanitarian needs of the American Red Cross.
Find a drive and schedule a blood donation appointment today.
Your time and talent can make a real difference in people’s lives. Discover the role that's right for you and join us today!
