Vermont Business Magazine The Northern New England Region of the American Red Cross continues to deploy people to major disaster relief efforts, with an employee from Waterbury the latest assigned to the Hurricane Laura operation.
Erica Fuller, a senior volunteer recruitment specialist, will report to Baton Rouge, LA, as a shelter worker Tuesday.
“The Red Cross is working tirelessly to help people devastated by Hurricane Laura. I’m humbled to be part of the effort to help affected residents recover from this disaster however we can,” Fuller said.
Erica Fuller, Northern New England Region of the American Red Cross
Fuller joins an operation that already involves nearly 1,000 trained Red Cross disaster workers who are on the ground or supporting the effort virtually. While this is Fuller’s first disaster deployment with the Red Cross, this is not the first time she is helping people affected by a major disaster. Fuller responded to Hurricane Harvey with the AmeriCorps Disaster Response Team in Texas, where she helped families set up the team’s mucking and gutting services in preparation for rebuilding and assisted in assessing disaster damage.
Hurricane Laura left terrible devastation in its wake in Louisiana and Texas. While the full extent of damage isn’t yet known, preliminary estimates indicate that thousands of homes could either be destroyed or have major damage across Louisiana and Texas.
Hundreds of thousands of people are without power or water as the region copes with the compounding effects of heat advisories and the coronavirus pandemic. Many roads are still closed due to downed trees and power lines, making access into some of the hardest hit areas challenging.
Saturday night, various agencies helped about 20,000 people stay in emergency lodgings, including shelters and, in some instances, hotels. As people are allowed to return to their local communities after evacuating, the Red Cross will help to ensure they have a safe place to go. The Red Cross has teams of volunteers circulating through accessible areas to assess damage and provide ready-to-eat meals, water and snacks.
HOW TO HELP
DONATE: You can make a difference in the lives of people impacted by Hurricane Laura. Visit redcross.org, call 800-RED-CROSS or text the word LAURA to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Donations enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from this disaster. This includes providing food, shelter, relief supplies, emotional support and other assistance.
VOLUNTEER: If you have the time, you can make a significant impact as a Red Cross volunteer. Review our most urgently needed volunteer positions here: http://redcross.org/volunteertoday.
GIVE BLOOD: We encourage eligible blood donors in parts of the country unaffected by the storm to give blood or platelets to help ensure a sufficient blood supply. Through our national inventory system, the Red Cross has the ability to move blood around the country to wherever and whenever it is needed most. To schedule an appointment to donate, you may use the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org/NNE or visit us on Facebook at @RedCrossNNE, Instagram at @RedCrossNNE or at Twitter at @ARC_NNE.
Source: WATERBURY, Vt. — The Northern New England Region of the American Red Cross 8.31.2020