Tip of the Week
Hurricane Relief
The phone call was both a relief and gut-wrenching at the same time.
The year was 2005 and, due to his work, my brother was one of the last to evacuate the Houston area as Hurricane Rita was set to hit landfall in a matter of hours.
When the phone rang, my brother sounded exhausted and weak. He was in the car, stranded on the side of the road, about an hour out of Houston, having run out of gas. He had a few crackers and a little water. He had had trouble calling out and now his phone was almost without power.
Today, as news is shared about the devastation of Hurricane Helene and the impending danger with Hurricane Milton, I can’t help but recall the feeling of helplessness and the anxiety of not being able to reach family in the middle of a disaster.
For families trying to connect with one another, the American Red Cross provides reunification services after a disaster. For anyone wanting to help with disaster relief, both the American Red Cross and The National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) provides information on their response and how you can volunteer to help.
When we hung up the phone with my brother that afternoon, I choked back tears. I wasn’t sure when I would see him again. And as it turned out, the evacuation of Houston proved more deadly than the hurricane with more than 100 evacuation-related deaths reported.
My brother was in his car for several more hours. Then, early the next morning, two men in a truck stopped to see what help he needed. They put enough gas in his car so he could get to the next town where he could buy gas. Several hours later, he pulled into our driveway safe from the storm and the evacuation.
May all who are in the middle of these disasters find their way to safety and be reunited with loved ones soon.
