It’s not every Saturday that the Louisiana Red Cross Capital Area-West chapter office in Baton Rouge is as busy as it was on June 11, 2022. For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic struck Louisiana, dozens of Louisiana Red Cross staff and volunteers for this region convened for an open house that would showcase how they’re preparing for hurricane season.

The event included some of the most recognizable American Red Cross trademarks – including rows of olive-green cots simulating a Red Cross shelter and a fleet of Emergency Response Vehicles. Each evoke distinct aspects of the nonprofit’s field operations, when one could see Disaster Action Teams (DATs) donning the iconic Red Cross holographic vests. However, this event also raised the hood over the less-prominent aspects of disaster responses, in particular the broad communication network essential to effective disaster relief and community rehabilitation.

Whenever a DAT responder identifies someone in need of assistance – be it financial, emotional, or spiritual – the client is referred to a local Red Cross caseworker. Though they’re able to provide immediate assistance, such as financial support to find temporary lodging, comprehensive long-term assistance often requires intervention by specialized organizations and services capable of fulfilling an individual’s specific needs. As one of their first points of contact, the Red Cross also strives to be capable of connecting survivors to such resources.

Khadija Mohammed, a Lead Specialist in the Louisiana Red Cross Recovery Support Program, is always working to expand local connections. After disasters, survivors’ needs vary widely in scope, so creating a truly comprehensive support network requires courting a wide array of services. Khadija emphasizes the importance of knowing an organization’s strengths, when they’re able to take on more clients, and how to request follow up on clients to see where they are in the recovery process. Maintaining this network is crucial for clients, particularly in southern Louisiana during hurricane season.

The open house drew in several spokespeople from local businesses to see about collaboration opportunities with the Red Cross this season – some were familiar, some new. Ed Bush, Executive Director of the Capital Area-West chapter, has attended several Rotary Club meetings as a Red Cross representative. By promoting services such as free disaster response trainings at local establishments, the Red Cross can channel club members’ community efforts into promoting increased engagement and preparedness. Going well beyond promoting the Red Cross image, this work enables communities themselves to better withstand the immediate impact of environmental disasters. “It’s not really marketing,” Ed explained, “it’s about sharing our vision.”

The open house also highlighted a few of the Red Cross military connections. Before joining the organization, Ed Bush himself served in the military for 30 years, where he participated in emergency response missions after hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav, Ike, Karen and Harvey. The Capital Area-West office is the base of operations for major events throughout Southern Louisiana, hosting a warehouse used for delivering provisions in the aftermath of major disasters. In fact, the building was a donation from the Kuwaiti government, presenting itself as a monument to the extent of the connections the Red Cross has forged on an international scale. Though at the end of the day, Ed remembers this event was just as important for the Red Cross members who were running it.

“Internally, it was a huge success,” Ed said. “We prepped and we planned and we pulled it off, which this group hasn’t done in the two years I’ve been here [because of COVID-19]. That alone was worth the time.”