By: Jackie Shoemaker, Executive Director of South Central Georgia Chapter

Almost a year ago, Hurricane Idalia carved a path straight through my hometown of Valdosta, Georgia. As I drove into work that humid August morning, I saw downed power lines wrapped around fallen poles and trees that looked like spaghetti. I had to go through numerous detours because of uprooted and snapped trees and rooftops which had ripped off buildings. Cars lined up for gas, extending into the roadways. Within less than 30 minutes, I witnessed tremendous damage and an immediate need in my community.

Having already deployed hundreds of volunteers and semi-trailer trucks with loads of supplies to Tallahassee, Florida, the American Red Cross quickly assessed the needs in Valdosta and responded. As a new Executive Director for the organization, I had witnessed our mission at work before but now it was on a much larger scale. Our shelter offered a safe and compassionate place for those in need. Hundreds of people received hot meals, clean-up supplies and recovery assistance.

One sweltering day, a Red Cross distribution site served a line of nearly 800 cars. There was such tremendous need, more than I realized. We received a request before my fellow Executive Director, Patti Duckworth, and I headed back for the evening. A woman without a car could not visit any of our distribution sites in town. Four days after Hurricane Idalia, she was still without power and had lost all of her food. All she wanted was a hamburger. Duckworth and I couldn’t let that simple wish go, so we hopped in a car and headed for one fast food restaurant. They had already run out of burgers. We hit the jackpot at McDonald’s. With the hamburger meal in tow, we set out to find Ms. Morris Gosier.

We found a lovely woman sitting on her front porch, seeking some fresh air in the heat. Gosier was so thankful to receive a sandwich. She invited us inside to see the hole Idalia carved into her ceiling. After this, emotions let loose. She sobbed and we hugged her.

The next morning, Red Cross volunteers knocked on her door again to deliver more food. Though we handled individual emergency aid at a local church, our team traveled to her home to help her. A month later, when longer-term recovery assistance was available, our caseworker went to her home. I’ve visited her half a dozen times since then, and we’ve become friends.

This experience made me reflect on a comment made by a Red Cross disaster manager during a meeting several months before the hurricane. The manager said, “to look for people who are not present during a disaster relief operation.” I understood it then, but I lived it in the aftermath of Hurricane Idalia. Our individual care for a single woman in Valdosta who was not present is part of the mission and culture of our organization. This high level of individual support is what you can expect from your donations to the American Red Cross. Thank you so much for your contributions to our mission.