By Tiffany Gonzalez, American Red Cross Public Affairs

As communities across Guam recover from the devastating impacts of Super Typhoon Bavi, American Red Cross volunteers from across the country have answered the call to help. Among them is Gary Weinstein, a volunteer from the Southwest Florida Chapter, who is currently deployed as a Safety Officer supporting one of the organization's largest disaster relief operations.

Super Typhoon Bavi brought catastrophic winds, torrential rain and widespread damage to Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, prompting the Red Cross to mobilize volunteers to help communities begin the long road to recovery.

For nearly nine years, Gary has served as a Red Cross volunteer. He began by responding to local home fires, helping families during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. Since then, he has deployed across the country to support communities impacted by hurricanes, floods, wildfires, tornadoes and other major disasters.

Today, Gary is also a member of the American Red Cross National Incident Command Team, an elite group of experienced disaster volunteers who support the organization's largest and most complex emergency operations.

While many Red Cross volunteers are staffing shelters, distributing emergency supplies and helping families recover, Gary's role is to protect those responders so they can safely carry out the mission.

Before teams head into the field, Gary evaluates operational plans, identifies potential hazards and works with leadership to put safety measures in place. Throughout the operation, he visits shelters, distribution sites and disaster-affected communities to monitor changing conditions, identify new risks and coach responders on safe work practices. Whether it's extreme weather, damaged infrastructure, long operational hours or unfamiliar environments, Gary's focus is ensuring every volunteer can continue serving safely and return home at the end of their deployment.

Last year alone, Gary deployed to five major disaster operations, serving as the Safety Officer on three of them. His work is a powerful reminder that behind every Red Cross response is a dedicated team working not only to help disaster survivors, but also to protect the volunteers making that help possible.

For Gary, volunteering is about making a difference when people need it most.

"Nothing is more satisfying than being able to provide comfort and assistance to those affected by a disaster," Gary said. "Volunteering with the Red Cross provides me with the training and resources to help others."