Tag Archives: Disaster Deployment

Resilience After Disasters

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By Executive Director of Central Valley Chapter Lori Wilson

Lori Wilson (L) with Mayor Camacho (R).

CORRECTION (July 31, 2026): An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified Mayor Camacho of Saipan as former Mayor Carlos Camacho from Guam. The error has been corrected.

In July, I had the privilege of touring the island of Saipan with Mayor Camacho as an Elected Official Liaison (EOL), visiting families whose lives have been deeply affected by Typhoons Sinlaku and Bavi alongside him. As we went from home to home, we listened to their stories, learned about their most pressing needs and witnessed firsthand the remarkable resilience that continues to shine through despite so much loss and uncertainty.

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Gale Carli’s Journey to Saipan Revealed the Best of Humanity After Disaster

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When retired nurse Gale Carli from San Mateo County arrived in Saipan seven days after Super Typhoon Sinlaku devastated the U.S. territory in the western Pacific Ocean, the signs of destruction were impossible to miss. 

Red Cross volunteer Gale Carli in Saipan.

“The electricity was off, so driving was treacherous,” Carli recalled. “There were trees down, power poles down, lights down, and you could tell that something disastrous had happened.” 

Sinlaku, an exceptionally powerful Category 5-equivalent storm, blew through the Northern Mariana Islands in mid-April, unleashing catastrophic flooding and sustained winds approaching 180 miles per hour. The storm left the tourism-dependent island struggling to recover. Trees were stripped bare, roads were littered with debris, and much of the lush tropical landscape had turned brown after exposure to salt water. 

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A Quiet Presence After the Storm 

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In the aftermath of deadly Hurricane Helene in 2024, an American Red Cross volunteer noticed a boy sitting quietly in a shelter in Macon, Georgia. 

What began as a simple observation became something deeply meaningful. 

A Red Cross disaster mental health volunteer draws with a four-year-old staying at a shelter in Watsonville, Calif.

“There was a family that was in desperate need, and they had a child who they said didn’t talk to anyone,” recalls Disaster Mental Health Volunteer Leslie Grant. “And I said, ‘May I try talking with him?’ And I sat down on the floor. He was rolling a little car back and forth to himself. And I sat down about 10 feet away. And I just sat there. 

“And then I moved a little closer, and I slowly moved closer. And he rolled his car to me. And I introduced myself. And he rolled the car; we rolled it back and forth. 

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Laura’s Lesson from Alaska: Appreciating the Communities We Serve

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Laura (in purple) with other Red Cross volunteers who deployed to the same shelter in Anchorage. 

Being called to assist those whose lives have been upended by a natural disaster is not only an opportunity to provide aid and service. A deployment is also a unique opportunity for cultural exchange, and Laura Hovden’s deployment to Alaska in the wake of Typhoon Halong in October 2025 was a testament to that.  

Laura first got involved in local disaster management volunteer opportunities with the American Red Cross in 2014. Once her children left home for college, she left her own backyard to deploy to natural disasters across the country. She focused on organizing shelters during her initial deployments, but she soon secured more responsibilities as part of the Mass Care team that manages relief operations for larger natural disasters.

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The Heart of a Shelter: Jodi Wallace’s Strategic Lead in the Alaska Typhoon Recovery 

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Jodi Wallace in Alaska after Typhoon Halong

For American Red Cross volunteer Jodi Wallace, the call to deploy to natural disasters is a lifelong mission. Most recently, she was one of the many volunteers that deployed to Alaska to aid the thousands of survivors affected by the destruction of Typhoon Halong last October.  

Referring to herself as a “Katrina baby,” Jodi has been deploying to natural disasters since Hurricane Katrina. When she first heard the call for Red Cross volunteers on the television and radio, she signed up and began her journey assisting in the shelters.  

“I realized that sheltering was really something near and dear to my heart, so I stayed with it. For at least the first 16 years, I predominantly ran shelters as a shelter manager because that is really what I loved and was passionate about,” she said. “For the last four years, I started doing other things, but my favorite is being Mass Care Chief because it keeps me close to sheltering.” 

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Stronger Together: A Couple Who Brings Heart to Red Cross Disaster Relief 

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American Red Cross volunteers Richard (left) and Caroline Matera (middle), consult with Vincent Hand about how to find damaged properties in Chinese Camp.  

Among the unsung heroes of American Red Cross disaster responses are the families of Red Cross volunteers, whose loved ones may be away for holidays and important occasions while they are helping those affected by a disaster. Then there are those couples who eliminate that problem by joining the Red Cross together with their family members.

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