By Alexis Gonzalez, American Red Cross

"I like recovery because it's the piece to help residents move forward," said Angella Working, Red Cross Shelter Resident Transition team member.

Working, a Wisconsin native, always wanted to make a difference with the Red Cross, and two years ago, the timing was right for her to put on a red vest and sign up. With 20 deployments in two years, Working is no stranger to helping affected individuals and families go through one of the toughest times in their lives while also bringing them hope with their next steps to recovery.

"Everybody I know tells me I would be lost if I wasn't helping people, and they are right," said Working with a big smile.

A few weeks ago, Working was in a North Carolina shelter as a shelter worker after Hurricane Helene upheaved thousands of lives within the state. In this shelter were four brothers who barely made it to safety. Working sat with them to listen to their story and be a shoulder to lean on as they worked through their experiences. She broke the news of her departure to her "brothers" after completing her deployment assignment. Not wanting to let her go, one of the brothers jokingly went to a safety officer in the shelter and asked him to borrow his handcuffs.

"He told the officer that we had to be handcuffed together so I couldn't leave," said Working with a laugh.

As Working stayed busy attending to shelter residents' needs, she assisted another Red Crosser in connecting with an older woman they hadn't heard from in days. As she pulled in, the woman's son pulled in simultaneously while the caregiver left the residence. Working connected the son with the caretaker to keep them in touch about his mother's well-being.

Working also connected with the woman to see how she was doing and asked her if she had any needs. The woman was the last person in her neighborhood to get swift water rescued when the flood waters from Helene came rushing in full force. This woman was struggling with the fact she watched her neighbors perish at the hands of Helene while she was lifted to safety.

"Being deployed changes your life. You see the devastation people have gone through, which makes me want to help people more and more," said Working.

After completing her deployment to North Carolina for the Hurricane Helene response, Working has just touched down in Tampa, Florida, to work with shelter residents in finding a more permanent solution on their road to disaster recovery.

"If you're unsure about volunteering and deploying, all I can say is just try it. No deployment is the same, but the people you meet are the ones that make it worth it," shared Workings.

As families try to take their next steps, Red Cross responders are with them, providing shelter, meals, relief supplies and support to make sure no one faces this disaster alone. The work isn't close to being done. Alongside its partners, the Red Cross will be there to support those in need for weeks and months to come.