Story told by Mandy McMahon  

“I know that when she does this kind of work, it really touches her heart. She finds a lot of meaning in being able to help people when they are at their lowest,” said Roger Hungerford, an American Red Cross volunteer, on the motivation he feels from watching his wife, Liz, do what she loves. “She’s done tornadoes, fires, and hurricanes Katrina, Michael, and Matthew, and with all of them, she comes back and tells powerful stories of people she’s met. She got involved in what seems like a huge amount of work and draws a lot of energy from you, but it just really feeds her spirit.”

Liz and Roger, of Pensacola, FL, deployed to Fort Myers to support disaster relief following the devastation left by Hurricane Ian. Inspired by his wife, Roger signed up for his first deployment outside his home region of North Florida. 

“She followed me throughout my career, and I said, ‘look, you followed me for my career – you get to choose what we do now,’” Roger described his motivation to sign up as a Red Cross volunteer. “She said, ‘Can we go on deployments together?’ and I said, ‘Okay!’”

The couple is working hard during their deployment, coordinating the more than 300,000 relief supplies that have already been distributed, such as work gloves, trash bags, shovels, tarps, and other essential items, to assist impacted individuals with clean up. 

“At one point, there was a chance we could have been impacted. We started looking at what we needed to do to prepare ourselves,” said Roger of the days leading up to the storm. “When the hurricane path shifted, she started working with our local chapter on all things associated with pre-landfall activities, such as loading up box trucks with supplies and coordinating teams from Pensacola to pre-position relief supplies. That’s when we got our names on the list to deploy.” 

The Hungerfords are two of the more than 2,100 Red Crossers who have supported Hurricane Ian relief efforts over the past several weeks. A disaster of this magnitude requires a team effort. The Red Cross is working closely with local officials, government agencies, and other nonprofits to coordinate relief efforts and make recovery plans.

“Even though it’s a small thing that we do, giving a mop or a broom, it can make a huge difference in the way that the people feel,” Roger describes the impact of his work.

More than two weeks after Hurricane Ian devastated Florida, the Red Cross is on the ground alongside our partners, providing food, shelter, and a shoulder to lean on so that no one faces this tough time alone. Hundreds of people remain in emergency shelters, and Red Cross workers are connecting with people still in shelters to help them plan for the future and make housing arrangements. Mobile kitchens are cooking tens of thousands of hot meals, delivered daily to people struggling in the hardest hit areas. 

YOU CAN HELP: To help people affected by Hurricane Ian, visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS, or text the word IAN to 90999 to make a $10 donation.