Published: August 28, 2008 10:27 pm            

Valley Red Cross volunteers heading to Gulf Coast as Tropical Storm Gustav approaches

TERRE HAUTE — As Tropical Storm Gustav headed toward the Gulf of Mexico, two Clay County women Thursday responded to a call from the American Red Cross Wabash Valley Chapter.

Mark Allen, a Terre Haute television anchorman, pulled up to the Red Cross Terre Haute facility, at 700 S. Third St., in a red pickup truck and helped his wife, Carol A. Allen, and Jane A. Walters, a fellow American Red Cross volunteer, unload their travel bags.

Carol Allen started as a disaster volunteer about three years ago, first responding to Hurricane Katrina.

“This is my fifth disaster,” said Allen, 59. “I became involved because I have a friend who works for the Red Cross and I talked to her about it and I became interested in it and decided I wanted to help, too.”

She has worked disasters such as tornadoes in Indiana and wildfires in California, as well as the June floods that hit Vigo County.

“It is stressful, but it is interesting seeing the different parts of the country,” Allen said. “It is always interesting talking to the people and trying to make a connection with them, trying to make a little bit of a difference in their life, letting them know that someone cares,” Allen said.

When responding to a disaster, Allen said volunteers sometimes stay in Red Cross shelters or even in hotel rooms. Allen and Walters, both from Brazil, left without knowing where they would be assigned or where they would be staying during the next two weeks.

“I like to help other people and actually I think that is what we should do, I think that is why we are here is to help each other, make a difference,” Allen said.

It is the first national disaster and first Red Cross response outside of Indiana for Walters, who has been a volunteer for three years.

“I am anxious to get down there and get things set up,” Walters, 61, said as she loaded a Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicle on Thursday. However, Walters said she was not concerned about going near a tropical storm or hurricane. Forecasters predict Gustav will strengthen into a major hurricane by the time it hits the U.S. coastline along the Gulf of Mexico.

“I am from that area, the Gulf Coast, so I am used to hurricanes,” Walters said. “This is like getting on a bicycle,” she joked. “By the time we get there, they should know exactly where the storm will hit and then we will go to an assigned place and open up the shelters. There will probably be a loss of electricity and a lot of flooding, so we know to expect those things.”

Walters and Allen will travel about 688 miles to Hattiesburg, Miss., about an 11 to 12 hour drive, which is a Red Cross staging area. In their response vehicle, they will deliver prepared meals or distribute bulk supplies to affected neighbors.

Carol Stevens, executive director of American Red Cross Wabash Valley Chapter, which serves Vigo, Vermillion, Clay, Sullivan, Parke, Putnam and Greene counties in Indiana and Edgar County in Illinois, said the chapter has 200 volunteers.

“Volunteers like this are essential,” Stevens said. “Just like when we had flooding here in June, we had volunteers that came from all across the United States to help our community, and now it is our turn to go and be ready to do the same during the hurricane season.

“The American Red Cross really truly relies upon volunteers to deliver our services, particularly in times of disaster. As a couple of volunteers leave from the Wabash Valley, this is being replicated all across the Midwest and the Eastern seaboard and in between here and the hurricane-prone states,” Stevens said.

“These are very remarkable people. They get a call and in 24 hours they are supposed to be on the road. It goes back to one of the principles that this nation was founded on, which is simply neighbor helping neighbor. Although over the years, the Red Cross has changed what we do and how we do, we have never left that founding principle,” Stevens said.

Howard Greninger can be reached at (812) 231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com.

        

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