Written by Amy Miller, Communications Manager for the American Red Cross Kentucky Region
What got you involved with the Red Cross?
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Amy outside the Red Cross
Tampa Bay Regional Headquarters,
Tampa, FL |
I learned about the Red Cross in 2015 when I was looking for
opportunities to expand my skills after I graduated from college. I started out
writing volunteer profiles and monitoring social media as a public affairs
volunteer with the Louisville Area Chapter, my local chapter. I’ve been with
the Red Cross ever since, and recently became the Communications Manager for
the Kentucky Region. In the 9 years I’ve been with the Red Cross, I’ve helped
with our Sound the Alarm smoke alarm installation events, visited blood drives
to talk to donors and traveled across the state for tornado, severe weather and
flood responses. My first disaster relief operation was the response to the
2018 flooding that impacted communities along the Ohio River. More recently, I
deployed to Franklin, Kentucky to support the 2021 December tornado response,
and Lexington, Kentucky to help after flooding impacted Eastern Kentucky in
2022. This October, I had the opportunity to help communities in Florida that
were impacted by Hurricane Milton on my first national disaster relief
operation.
What’s deployment to a disaster relief operation like?
I think most people think of sheltering or feeding when they
think of deployment, which are vital roles during a disaster relief operation,
but there are a lot of other ways you can volunteer, too! When I deploy, I
deploy as part of our Red Cross public affairs team. The public affairs team,
in a nutshell, tells the story of the Red Cross and the communities the Red
Cross is helping. This can mean doing interviews with the media to share
information about how the Red Cross is responding. It can also mean going out
to shelters, distribution sites and other events in disaster-impacted
communities. We take photos of the work Red Crossers are doing, get quotes from
the partners we work alongside, and help share the stories of the people we’re
helping.
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Tampa, FL. Photo credit: Sivani Babu,
American Red Cross Central California Region |
Deployments last for at least two weeks. When I went to
Florida for Hurricane Milton, I stayed at a hotel near Tampa for a few days and
then spent the rest of my time there in a staff shelter. I was paired with
another public affairs volunteer, and we were partners for the whole
deployment. We would take turns driving to our assignments, taking photos and
asking questions during the day. When we returned to our lodging at night, we’d
sort through the day’s photos, write up stories and captions and make plans for
the next day’s activities. Wherever there were Red Crossers at work is where
we’d be to help share their stories and get information out to the community.
I’ve had a lot of people ask me what I pack when I deploy.
I’ve taken to telling them a sense of humor and a lot of flexibility. Disaster
relief operations are constantly adapting and changing to meet the needs of the
community. One day my partner and I would be working with a volunteer team
passing out lunches and supplies at a community center in Tampa. The next, we’d
be three hours away in Vero Beach following an emergency response vehicle as it
traveled through tornado-devastated neighborhoods to serve hot meals to the
community. You have to be flexible to be able to better help the people we
serve!
The humor comes in handy on long car rides and after long
days. Being able to go back to the staff shelter and share stories with people
who come from all over the country to help was an amazing way to end each day.
What’s the difference between deploying nationally and
deploying at home?
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| Hurricane debris near Horseshoe Beach, FL. |
The biggest difference I noticed when I deployed for
Hurricane Milton was being able to fully immerse myself in the disaster
response. When you respond to a disaster in your own backyard, you may be
impacted yourself or know people who were affected. When I was in Florida, I
kept in touch with people back home, but my only focus was on the community in
Florida and how I could help. It gave me a better appreciation of the
volunteers who leave their families and put their own lives on hold for two
weeks to lend a hand during disasters across the country.
Is there a moment from deploying that stands
out to you?
It’s hard to pick the most memorable moment from my
Hurricane Milton deployment because every day was something new. Early in the
deployment, I remember my partner and I sitting down at the end of a long day
on the road with the congregation of a church the volunteers we’d been
following had delivered meals to. The residents there had only recently gotten
power back to their neighborhood and had lost all the food in their
refrigerators, but they’d invited us to stay and have dinner with them.
One of the most impactful experiences came on our last day
of deployment. My partner and I got a tour of a beautiful small town on the
Gulf of Mexico about three hours north of Tampa, on the back of a golf cart.
Every single building had been damaged by hurricanes and flooding. The resident
who gave us the tour had been working with the Red Cross long-term recovery
team since Hurricane Idalia destroyed her home in 2023, and the Red Cross was
continuing to support her through the devastation of Hurricanes Helene and
Milton. She shared with us that when things settled in her life, she wanted to
become a Red Cross volunteer and help others the way the Red Cross had helped
her.
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Pinellas Park, FL. Photo credit: Sivani Babu,
American Red Cross Central California Region
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Sprinkled in between were the intensely human interactions
that reminded me of how important the Red Cross mission to end human suffering
is: Being able to talk to people working in businesses in Tampa and lending an
ear and a shoulder when they shared how their homes and loved ones had been
impacted by the hurricanes; laughing with people from an impacted community who
had stopped their truck to check on me, because I’d gotten out of the car to
help a turtle cross the road; working alongside local Red Cross volunteers who
had been supporting their neighbors since the beginning of hurricane season,
while navigating their own hurricane clean up.
Every day, I spoke with someone who had been impacted by the
hurricanes or who had been helped by the Red Cross. It was a humbling and
rewarding experience.
The mission of the Red Cross would not be possible without
our volunteers and donors. Our volunteers are on the ground, supporting people
as they recover from what can be the worst moments of their lives. Our donors
make the Red Cross mission possible. Their support allows Red Crossers like me
to deploy to disasters like Hurricane Milton to support communities in times of
need. You can learn more about supporting the mission of the Red Cross by
visiting redcross.org/gift.
