Story and photos by Darrell Fuller, American Red Cross Volunteer

TAMPA, FL - Arriving on four flights over seven hours, a contingent of 14 highly skilled, bilingual Red Cross (Cruz Roja) volunteers from Mexico arrived at Tampa International Airport on October 10.

In Mexico, most of the volunteers who are now in Florida are employed as firefighters and medics. They are all certified EMTs and are all trained USAR (Urban Search and Rescue) responders.

In Florida, they collaborate closely with local Latino Engagement Teams (LETs) performing outreach in predominantly Hispanic communities hit hard by Hurricane Ian.

For the entire group, this is their first time in Florida. But for most of them, this is not the first time they have deployed for Cruz Roja in the United States.

“Eight of us were in Louisiana,” said Tania Saldana of Mexico City, one of the group’s leaders.

“I have been a Cruz Roja volunteer for fourteen years,” Saldana continued. “Most of our group have volunteered with Cruz Roja for more than 10 years.”

Most of the volunteers knew one another prior to this deployment. They hail from five different Mexican states: Mexico City, Morelos, Puebla, Tamaulipas, and Chihuahua.

“We train together. We volunteer together. We are a strong team when we deploy,” Saldana said.

“A lot of Cruz Roja volunteers would love to deploy to America,” said Diana Lesley Acosta from Morelos, “but not everyone can do it. Not everyone has a passport. Not everyone speaks English.”

At the airport, they were greeted by Jose Bueno, the Central Florida Regional Preparedness Manager. After exchanging greetings, the Cruz Roja volunteers quickly got in line at Chick-fil-A while waiting for transportation to Fort Myers.

He said, “they will be so helpful in the hardest hit Latino communities. They need help, and Red Cross and Cruz Roja are focused on reaching into those communities and making a difference. Two countries. One team. One mission.”

The welcoming committee also included Ela Landegger, Chair of the Tampa Bay Red Cross Chapter.

“It is such a big deal to have them here,” Landegger said. “And with their Cruz Roja uniforms, they will be hard to miss. We hope people in the community will know we are here to help everyone. Two countries united as one humanitarian Red Cross.”

The Cruz Roja volunteers will be in Florida for 14 days -- a typical deployment. When asked what they plan to do on their day off, they excitedly replied, “we get a day off?” Then they began talking about Disney World, Miami and the Everglades.

At the time, though, the Cruz Roja team was focused on getting a good night’s sleep before getting to work. There is a lot to be done and they came to make a real impact on residents in need.