The Red Cross offers assistance after disasters like the tornado in Butler, and almost all of that assistance is provided through volunteer caseworkers deployed into affected communities. Above you see photos from Deer Park, Alabama. The same storm system that produced tornadoes in Butler also devastated Deer Park in south Washington County. As an AmeriCorps VISTA, it is my responsibility to recruit and train volunteers for the Alabama Gulf Coast Chapter. These volunteers, like Roger and Wanda Reetz, Pamela Schnitzler, and Brenda Bivens (all seen above) graciously give their time to serve in disaster-affected communities. It’s through Roger and Wanda Reetz that I’ve learned about disaster response.

Wednesday night I wrote a small story about what it means to be a VISTA (think of it as the domestic Peace Corps) with the Red Cross as part of an assignment given to me by AmeriCorps.

Last week, in the middle of tornado response, I spoke to a stroke support group at a local hospital. The topic was disaster preparedness. Soon, I’ll be speaking to a senior citizen group in Grand Bay, Alabama about the same. Tonight, as I write this story, I’m tuned to the news. A tornado ripped through Tuscaloosa and devastated the west side of Birmingham this evening. Our wonderful, but overworked, volunteers are already preparing to deploy northward.

On Thursday workers in Choctaw County, where in addition to the Butler tornado of two weeks ago, we now have 20 more damaged homes. The first of our chapter’s volunteers to Birmingham and Tuscaloosa deployed Friday and Saturday.

A year ago I was working for the Census. In August I quit my job with Books-A-Million to become a full-time volunteer with the American Red Cross, Alabama Gulf Coast Chapter. They brought me on as an AmeriCorps VISTA in January. The jobs I had over the last year are necessary. Someone’s got to do them. But…

With the Red Cross, you can be the best part of someone’s worst day.

And that sure as hell beats making coffee for a living.

The following is the story Cennie Jackson (bottom right, in white) told me in Butler, Alabama the Monday after a tornado ripped down her street and destroyed her home (top left).

“Let’s take a ride.” Those were the words Stacy Jackson spoke to his wife just hours before a tornado ripped through their mobile home in Butler, Alabama. Stacy’s wife, Cennie, called her husband to come home during severe thunderstorms in Choctaw County on April 15, 2011. Instead, Stacy suggested the couple take a drive out of town for a while. The decision probably saved their lives.

Upon returning to their home, the Jacksons realized they would be starting over. The American Red Cross was in Choctaw County assessing damage in the days immediately following the tornado. Using it as an in-depth opportunity to train new volunteers in damage assessment and client casework, I was partnered with Pamela Schnitzler (top left). We navigated our way around downed branches to the Jacksons’ home.

Off its foundation with one tree across the left side, the home was severely damaged. Another tree missed the right side of the home by mere feet. Windows were blown out. The front door was off its hinges; the doorframe separated from the rest of the building by several inches.

We met Cennie and Stacy in their neighbor’s front yard. Cennie spoke of their future in Butler. “We’ll start over. We’ve done it before, and we’ll just have to do it again.”

Last Sunday after church a few of us went down to an annual three-day arts festival, Arts Alive!, in Cathedral Square. I took this shot of a glass-worker at work.

A couple months ago I was called out to a fire in Eight Mile, Alabama. As you can see, the house and all their possessions were a total loss. The man of the house was at home asleep when it happened, and his granddaughter, sick and home from preschool, woke him up when she smelled smoke. They both escaped through a window before the house burned to the ground.

Stories like this one are just a small part of why I work for the Red Cross. We provide all disaster services free of charge- from preparedness and training before a disaster to assistance during and after one. The Alabama Gulf Coast Chapter runs on a very small staff and relies on volunteers across Southwest Alabama to respond to fires, open shelters, and provide other disaster services. Please consider taking a health and safety course, participating in disaster training, or donating to our cause. More information can be found on our website.