Volunteer caseworkers go door-to-door this week in Bay City, Texas, to provide financial assistance, made possible by Red Cross donors, to families whose homes have been destroyed or suffered major damage as a result of Hurricane Beryl. Photos by Jaka Vinsek/American Red Cross
By Stephanie Babyak and Scott Marder, Red Cross volunteers
Like many Americans, Michael Weber of Sterling, Virginia, celebrated Independence Day enjoying a picnic barbecue and fireworks with his family. Then, before dawn the next morning, he boarded a plane bound for San Antonio, ultimately landing in Houston to help Texas families recover following the devastation of Hurricane Beryl. Michael is one of the many National Capital & Greater Chesapeake Region (NCGC) Red Cross volunteers – and the more than 600 volunteers nationwide -- who have deployed to Texas to lend a hand.
A retired electrical engineer, Michael is assigned to a small team of about 20 people throughout the country that manages Red Cross fleet operations. Members of this team deploy to disaster responses where there are 10 or more Red Cross emergency response vehicles brought in. These vehicles are part of a mobile response team that drives out to reach hard-hit communities with food, water, and emergency and clean up supplies.
Having traveled extensively during his career with the Central Intelligence Agency, Michael knew that he wanted to volunteer for the Red Cross after retirement because he has “travel in his blood. You never know when the phone’s going to ring, and you need to go across the country.”
Since becoming a Red Cross volunteer in 2016, Michael has deployed over 40 times, one dozen of which include helping after a major hurricane. Michael emphasizes that being flexible is important when deploying to a disaster area. “Mother Nature does what she wants to do, and you must have the ability to adapt. It doesn’t rattle me when there’s a significant change,” he says.
In the days and weeks ahead, the American Red Cross will continue to help Texans recover from Hurricane Beryl. With almost 10,000 customers still without power, disaster workers will provide emergency shelter and deliver emergency supplies to people in need.
Michelle Mach of Germantown, Maryland, is another NCGC volunteer who has been deployed to Texas.
Michelle is serving as a sheltering associate on this deployment. When back in Maryland, she volunteers on the Disaster Action Team and in communications as a visual storyteller. She has responded to single and multi-family home fires. Michelle’s specialty training area is in mass care and sheltering. In Texas, she did anything that was needed, from helping to set up the shelter, feed residents, take inventory, clean, or anything else that came up.
When asked if there is anything that has been memorable for Michelle that will stay with her when she leaves, Michelle said, “the people, the clients ... and how open and appreciative they have been.” She adds, “And the Red Cross people.” This was Michelle’s first deployment, and the Red Crossers with whom she worked were happy to teach Michelle. “I learned everything from the bottom up. Everyone was like that ... everybody helping everybody and teaching each other.”
Michelle’s experience has been so meaningful that she is extending her deployment. This will also not be her last deployment. “I’m going to do it again. When I get home, I’m going to take a few days ... to finish doing my laundry and then I’ll be back on the schedule.”
When asked what she would say to someone considering volunteering for the Red Cross, Michelle said, “Do it. Do it … There is something for everyone. You can be as active as you want. You can be virtual. You can be in person. You can be physical. You can be working behind a desk. Do it.”
The success of the Red Cross mission would not be possible without our wonderful volunteers like Michael and Michelle. Find out more about joining the Red Cross volunteer family at redcross.org/volunteer.
Moreover, the generous donations of our supporters help fund food, water, emergency supplies and financial assistance to help neighbors in need get back on their feet. Please click, text or call to help people affected by Hurricane Beryl in the United States.
To donate, visit, redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or text BERYL to 90999. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disaster.
Red Cross volunteers go door-to-door in Clute, Texas on July 20 to distribute drinking water and shelf-stable milk to families without power following Hurricane Beryl.
Dozens of Red Cross workers receive their assigned feeding routes for the day last week outside a mobile kitchen in Houston, Texas. Hundreds of hot meals were later onto over 30 emergency response vehicles and delivered to Red Cross shelters and directly into some of the communities hardest hit by Hurricane Beryl.
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