By Maria Sudekum, American Red Cross

When Amanda Norton lost just about everything in a house fire last September, she didn’t think she would get much help from anyone. But then two American Red Cross volunteers came to the house.

“When they showed up, it really shocked me because I didn’t expect it,” Norton said. “It was late at night, and two ladies just showed up. I didn’t expect that from anybody, really. Nobody does that anymore.”

Red Cross responds to about 65,000 disasters each year, and most of those are house fires, which can be devastating, claiming seven lives a day nationwide. Red Cross works with local fire departments and other agencies to provide help during critical moments when residents might be uncertain how to proceed after they have been displaced from their homes by fire or other disasters.

The two Red Cross volunteers who met with Norton were Disaster Action Team members, who are trained to help by providing compassion, supplies and financial assistance to deal with immediate needs, like finding a safe place to stay.

“They were just so nice, and they helped me a lot,” Norton said. “And then they called me back to see how I was doing.” Once the Disaster Action Team members have said goodbye, Red Cross case workers follow up with people impacted to see how they are doing, whether they have found a  place to live, and if they need anything else, like help replacing medications or medical equipment that may have been lost or damaged in the fire. Red Cross case workers can also provide survivors with counseling and spiritual care if they would like those services.

Norton, who was working two jobs at the time of the fire, said she had poured most of her life savings into that house, where she had been living for more than a year with her boyfriend and her two dogs. She said that apart from getting financial assistance from the Red Cross, she so appreciated the follow-up call from the case worker.

Norton said the help she received from Red Cross exceeded her expectations.  “I thought it was so cool that they didn’t just help that night,” she said. “But they called and checked on me too.”

Red Cross, which has thousands of volunteer responders and is in nearly every community around the U.S., could use more Disaster Action Team members to help people through challenging moments. Please visit redcross.org/volunteer to find out how to help.