By Kristin Goodwillie, Northwest Region

When disaster strikes in the Northwest Region, the American Red Cross has a new Regional Disaster Officer at the helm. While Blake Audsley is new to the Red Cross, he brings nearly 20 years of humanitarian experience to our region.

His role covers disaster preparedness and disaster response, including training Red Cross volunteers to act when emergencies occur. The scope of his work is expansive, reaching from greater Puget Sound to parts of Idaho, and protecting millions of people and their homes.

The Northwest Region is no stranger to hazards, from wildfires to storms and earthquakes. Our disaster team provides aid and comfort, ranging from financial assistance to safe shelter and warm meals. Ultimately, Audsley’s team spends most of their time responding to home fires in our region.

Audsley’s commitment to service began when he started volunteering with the Peace Corps in Panama. He moved on to the UN World Food Program in Sub-Saharan Africa, and worked around the world in Italy and Thailand before transitioning to the U.S. Agency for International Development. For 10 years, he responded to disasters around the globe — until he began looking at domestic disaster response.

"I wanted to land with an organization that had a pedigree, a great reputation," Audsley said.

The Red Cross provided exactly the type of disaster response he was looking for, specifically because of the volunteers. "This community component with the volunteer workforce, that's something that I think makes it really unique and makes the work incredibly impactful.”

There are currently 1,200 Disaster Action Team (DAT) volunteers in the Region who make responding to natural disasters and home fires possible. To work with volunteers who donate their time, often 40 hours a week, is a humbling experience for Audsley.

"It's pretty amazing that folks are doing that just out of the goodness of their hearts," he said.