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

Posted on July 7, 2026 by Julie Uiterwijk

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.

Mutual Support and Monthly Meals: The Red Cross Mission at Fisher House

Posted on July 2, 2026 by larrydietz

Connie Borrego (L), Roxanne Anderson (M) and Liz Dietz (R) serving dinner outdoors.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, or VA, has over 9 million veterans enrolled in its health care system. Veterans often require extensive medical care, which puts a strain on families who don’t live near VA hospitals yet want to be with their loved ones. A core mission of the American Red Cross is to provide humanitarian support to military members and their families and for the past two years, the Red Cross has partnered with Fisher House as a key resource for veteran families during health crises.

Colleagues Connect to Make Community Safer

Posted on May 3, 2026 by Dej Knuckey

Vanir team ready to head out to install smoke alarms for community members in Richmond, Calif., for Sound the Alarm. L to R: Project Directors Santiago Harris and Cymbre Potter, Construction Manager Tierra Andrews, and Senior Project Manager Laurence Maller

On a cool Saturday morning in Richmond, Calif., a group of colleagues from construction management company Vanir traded hard hats and project schedules for clipboards and smoke alarms. They were part of the American Red Cross Sound the Alarm campaign, installing free smoke alarms and sharing fire safety information in at-risk communities.

But for this team, the day was about more than just service. It was also about connection.

Earth Day, Then and Now: Finding Hope on the Frontlines of a Climate Crisis

Posted on April 22, 2026 by Dej Knuckey

By Dej Knuckey

On the first Earth Day in 1970, twenty million Americans gathered to protest pollution and industrial waste. No one was using the term “climate crisis” yet, but the biggest pollutants of all—greenhouse gases—were just beginning to take their toll.

Since then, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has risen from 325 to 430 parts per million, a powerful measure of how much the climate has changed in just over five decades.

Now we see the effects every day: The American Red Cross is responding to nearly twice as many large disasters as it did a decade ago.

Prepared to Act: How Lifesaving Skills Helped a Teen Save His Father

Posted on April 20, 2026 by Pooja Klebig

17-year-old Edward Kuan is presented with the Red Cross Certificate of Extraordinary Personal Action on April 11, 2026, at the Emeryville Sound the Alarm event.

Emergencies don’t wait for the perfect moment.

They can happen without warning, in the middle of an ordinary day, at home, surrounded by family.

But what happens next often depends on one thing: whether someone nearby knows what to do.

For Edward Kuan, that moment came unexpectedly. At just 15 years old, his actions made the difference between life and death.

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

Posted on April 7, 2026 by Michelle Limpe

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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