Answering the Call Again, and Again and Again: A Red Crosser Who Never Stops Responding Takes on a New Role
“It is the most amazing job in the whole Red Cross!”
Tag Archives: Disaster Response
On the Frontlines of Relief: A Volunteer’s Perspective from the Southern California Wildfires
Kaia Newsam was out the door, ready to head to Los Angeles as soon as she got the call from the American Red Cross to respond to the Southern California wildfires. Even if this was her first volunteer mission with the Red Cross, Kaia was equipped to volunteer, having already completed the necessary training.
A recent graduate from U.C. Berkeley and now based in Merced, Kaia has been studying for the MCAT in preparation for medical school applications, which left her with free time to answer the call for volunteers.
“I was a brand new volunteer still going through my training and I just happened to be able to do all of the sheltering training in one day,” she said. “Deploying to the L.A. fires was my first experience volunteering at the Red Cross, which is a crazy thing to leave for two weeks to do.”
Read moreBest RV Center’s Commitment to Helping Wildfire Victims
In early January, a series of devastating wildfires tore through the Los Angeles metro area, leaving destruction in their wake. The fires, which impacted multiple neighborhoods, resulted in at least 29 deaths, the destruction of over 16,000 structures, and dangerously unhealthy air quality affecting millions. As communities continue to recover from this disaster, businesses and organizations across California have stepped up to provide support.
One such business is Best RV Center, a family-operated dealership located in Turlock, Calif. Established in 1997 by Naiel Ammari and his brother Nazeh, Best RV Center has grown into one of the largest RV dealerships in the region. Situated on 20 acres along Route 99, the dealership boasts an impressive inventory of 1,700 RVs, offering a wide range of models to customers from across the state.
When the wildfires broke out in January, the devastation hit close to home for Naiel. His daughter Samantha, a graduate student at Pepperdine University, was among those affected. Living in Calabasas, she faced difficulties commuting to school due to road closures. With no water or internet access, she and other students found support from the American Red Cross, which provided shelter, clothing, water and essential supplies to those affected by the fires. Pepperdine University was forced to close temporarily, shifting classes online, and Samantha chose to leave the area and drive eight hours back home to Turlock.
Read moreThe Black Cloud: A Pajaro Resident’s Story of When the Levees Broke
Written by: Jillian Robertson | Senior Manager, Long-Term Recovery Communications, American Red Cross
“People were caught off guard. It was 1 a.m. The levees were breaking, and we were told, ‘You’ve got to go!’ It was very traumatic.”
Joanne Jackson lived with her husband and her daughter in their home in Pajaro, California, before catastrophic floods forced them from their home two years ago, in December 2022.
For Joanne and her husband, they were lucky. The day before, the sheriff had warned them to evacuate. They left in their travel trailer where they’re still living today, as they work on repairs to their home that was rendered uninhabitable by the floods.
Read moreBeyond the Desk: My Red Cross Transformation
by Kelsey Marasigan
In my weekly one-on-one meetings with my supervisor, the question of professional development often arises. Usually, I’d offer a standard answer, something about improving my Excel skills or taking a project management course. Honestly, I hadn’t given it much serious thought. That is, until I said “yes” to a deployment opportunity to help with the disaster response operation for the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles. It was then I realized the Red Cross offers growth opportunities far beyond what I could imagine – opportunities for profound personal and professional development.
Read moreA Twice In A Lifetime Experience: Reflections On Briana’s Most Unique Deployment
By Julia Maniccia
“We are so focused on responding and getting a job done, but that isn’t how you touch peoples’ lives. You do that by listening to them, talking to them, letting them tell their story and finding out what they need. Then you help them,” is a sentiment that has guided Briana Taylor, first by a career in psychology, and later by two decades of service with the American Red Cross.
Briana’s introduction to disaster response was happenstance. In her professional role in mental health, Briana had spent many years working to alleviate human suffering on an individual level, tending to the needs of her patients in their darkest hour. In 2004, Briana was vacationing in Phuket, Thailand with her family, briefly taking off her psychologist hat, when a tsunami took to the island’s shores. Six weeks later, her drive to alleviate suffering took flight on the community-level, as she returned to Thailand to support islanders in their recovery.
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