By Bethany Bray Patterson, American Red Cross Regional Communications Manager

Helping people affected by disasters and collecting lifesaving blood donations are two important – yet distinct – aspects of the mission of the American Red Cross.

For David Ross, these two sides of the Red Cross intertwined this year. In May, he stepped away from his job as a Red Cross biomedical account manager in the Washington, D.C. area to deploy to Mississippi to help with Red Cross disaster relief after devastating tornadoes ripped through the state.

His supervisor, Jodi Zand, says she hopes Ross’ deployment is the start of a new trend among biomedical staff.

“Blood services is an essential, lifesaving part of the Red Cross mission, but disaster relief is too, says Zand, regional donor services executive for the Red Cross of the National Capital and Greater Chesapeake Region. “I encourage my staff to consider deploying when there is a need. It allows them to experience and contribute to the Red Cross mission and help people in a different – but equally important – way.”

Ross has worked for the Red Cross for more than 10 years, supporting and managing blood drives and acting as a liaison between the Red Cross and the many organizations, companies and groups that host blood drives in local communities.

One of the things he likes the most about his job, Ross says, is that he gets to visit blood drives nearly every day and talk with donors, staff and volunteers to make sure they have everything they need. He put those same skills to use in Mississippi, he says, talking, listening and visiting with local people who had been affected by the tornadoes – many of whom had lost everything and needed help to start their lives over.

Some communities had been totally flattened by the storms and the devastation was “stunning” to see, Ross says.

Ross was in Rolling Fork and Silver City, Mississippi for two weeks – his first time deploying with Red Cross disaster relief. He was part of a team of Red Crossers from across the U.S. who drove into the most heavily impacted communities to support people displaced from their homes. They collected important information from those displaced to ensure Red Cross services could be delivered to meet their most immediate needs.

Ross says he enjoyed getting to know people and making connections as his team made their rounds each day. Many residents were anxious, not knowing if they’d be able to return to their homes or what the future would hold, Ross recalls. His team offered kind words and did their best to connect residents with support to get them back on their feet.

He recalls one woman who pulled him aside, crying, because she needed to fill out the necessary forms to apply for FEMA aid, but didn’t have internet access. Ross’ team used their own cell phones to help her and eventually found a location where she could go that had working wi-fi.

Her home had been completely destroyed by the tornado and she didn’t have a place to stay long-term.

“We made sure she could connect to wi-fi and be taken care of. If we hadn’t been there, she wouldn’t have had a place to go,” Ross says. “[Interactions] like that really made me feel like we were making a difference.”

“I’d love to do it [deploy] again,” he says.

Ross is one of hundreds of Red Cross staff and volunteers who deployed to Mississippi, as well as Arkansas, Tennessee, Oklahoma and other states that were hit by devastating tornadoes this spring. In the immediate aftermath of the storms, the Red Cross and its partners opened dozens of shelters, provided more than 250,000 meals to displaced residents and distributed more than 105,000 tarps and other clean-up supplies. The Red Cross has also provided – and continues to provide – residents with financial assistance, mental health support and other services to help get them back on their feet.

Ross made a career switch to join the Red Cross after seeing the organization at work in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. He had traveled to New Orleans with his church to help with demolition and clean-up of homes that were destroyed in the catastrophic storm.

During that trip, Ross saw Red Cross volunteers walking through the Ninth Ward, handing out food, blankets and supplies. “It really made an impression on me – seeing them carry out the Red Cross mission,” he recalls.

Last year, Zand mentioned in a meeting that Red Cross biomedical staff were eligible to deploy to help with disaster relief if they completed all the necessary training. Ross took her up on the offer, completed his training, and when a call went out in May for people to deploy, he raised his hand.

“I’m proud that I got to do something like that. I would recommend it to anybody,” Ross says. “[After a disaster], you see the destruction on the news, you hear about it and feel sorry, but a day or two later you’re back in your rhythm of things. But deploying [after a disaster] is a real opportunity to help your fellow man.”

****

BECOME A VOLUNTEER

An active hurricane and wildfire season is expected in the coming months, and there is a critical need for more individuals to volunteer so we can support people who depend on the Red Cross for help. Learn more here.