'People Taking Care of People': Red Cross Shelter Clients Share Their Experiences

By: Nicole Roschella

Rescue boats approach Christina Knouse's home in Dorothy Patch, Westmoreland County. This photo was captured on her porch camera.

Ensuring people have a safe place to stay during a disaster is a critical part of the American Red Cross mission. When flash flooding struck Allegheny and Westmoreland counties in August 2022, the Red Cross jumped into action to open an emergency shelter for people who needed a safe place to stay. 

“I never knew the Red Cross did all the stuff they did. And they treated me really well,” said David Reid. His Westmoreland County home took on two and a half feet of water during the storm.

Reid was one of the 12 people who took refuge in the Red Cross shelter after the flood. Red Cross volunteers and employees worked around the clock to provide displaced neighbors:

·       A safe place to sleep
·       Meals, snacks and water
·       Health services (such as first aid, refilling lost prescriptions or replacing lost eyeglasses)
·       Emotional support and mental health services
·       Spiritual care
·       Help reconnecting with loved ones
·       Information about disaster-related resources in the community 
·       Access to caseworkers to help with disaster recovery

Red Cross cleanup kits provided for flood victims

“It’s just the fact that [the Red Cross] took care of us from beginning to end,” said Christina Knouse, who stayed at the shelter with her husband, two children and dog.

Pets are not always allowed at Red Cross shelters, but in this case, Red Cross workers were able to accommodate pets comfortably.

“The fact that you let my dog come with me was awesome,” Knouse said of her 16-year-old dog. “He’s old and just being displaced from his home – much less his family – would’ve made our situation much worse.”

Knouse said she found the Red Cross workers to be hospitable and friendly to her family during a tough time.

“The shelter workers were so down to earth. We really grew to like them,” Knouse said. “It truly felt like people taking care of people rather than an organization.”

Knouse said their home renovations will take at least six months, but their road to recovery could not have begun without help from the Red Cross.

You can help people affected by disasters like home fires, floods and countless other crises by making a donation to support Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. Visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

Single Mom Excels in Virtual Volunteer Position, Spends 200 Hours Each Month Helping Disaster Victims

By: Nicole Roschella

Every parent is a real-life superhero, but a single mom from Butler County is soaring above and beyond.

Gabby Pugliano joined the American Red Cross of Greater Pennsylvania in August 2021 after seeing a post online about the Disaster Action Team, which is the group of volunteers who help local families cope with emergencies.

“I was looking at job openings and came across this post about a volunteer position,” Pugliano said. “I thought, ‘Wow, that sounds awesome.’ And I’ve always wanted to do some type of volunteering.”

With the help of Red Cross volunteer engagement specialists, Pugliano found a role more fitting for her lifestyle: a virtual position as a Duty Officer.

“It was the perfect fit, and I got the ball rolling from there,” Pugliano said.

Duty Officers are the backbone of each Red Cross disaster response, essentially serving as a volunteer dispatcher to determine how the Red Cross will respond to an emergency and monitoring the response to ensure appropriate resources are made available.

Pugliano has become a critical part of our regional Disaster Action Team, completing the most Duty Officer shifts each month – all while working a full-time job at MSA Safety and raising her 8-year-old son.

“I like to stay busy. My role with the Red Cross is something I feel great about doing; I love helping people,” Pugliano said. “There’s been times when my son hears me talking to firefighters and police officers, and he tells me he’s proud of me. Knowing he looks up to me in that way is amazing.”

Although Pugliano logs hundreds of volunteer hours each month, she highlighted the flexibility the Red Cross provides its volunteers.

“You get to make your own schedule – whether you’d prefer morning, night or afternoon shifts,” Pugliano said. Most Duty Officers work an average of 4 to 6 shifts per month, each lasting about 4 hours.

Pugliano says being a Red Cross volunteer has made her thankful for the community around her.

“Before I joined the Red Cross, I never would have imagined how many people are out there volunteering their time to help others," Pugliano said. "That's humbling."

To find the volunteer position that’s right for you, visit redcross.org/volunteer.

Red Cross Disaster Action Teams: Turning Tragedy into Hope after a Disaster from American Red Cross on Vimeo.

Longtime Pennsylvania Red Cross Volunteer Helping Flood Victims in Kentucky

By: Nicole Roschella

More than a dozen Red Crossers from the Greater Pennsylvania Region are currently volunteering in eastern Kentucky, bringing help and hope to flood victims. 

Virginia “Jinny” Borek, of Williamsport, was one of the first volunteers from Pennsylvania to deploy to Kentucky, just one day after the catastrophic flooding on July 28. Borek drives a Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV), a truck that enables volunteers to provide food and supplies to people affected by disasters.

“We took meals up to Jenny Wiley State Resort Park where people are staying in shelters. The road to the lodge building was flooded so we had to take the food out of our ERV and load everything onto a bus to drive through the water, which was up to the top of the wheels,” Borek said. “That was at lunchtime. By dinnertime, the water had come up even higher, and we had to use pontoon boats to take up the meals.”

August 3, 2022. Jenny Wiley State Park, Kentucky.
American Red Cross volunteers board the boat that will ferry them across a flooded roadway to deliver meals to those affected by the Kentucky flooding disaster. American Red Cross feeding teams brought prepared hot meals to the site in Emergency Response Vehicles, ferried them across the flooded roadways by boat, and then loaded them onto waiting trucks on the other side for delivery. Photos by Kevin Suttlehan/American Red Cross

 
The next day, Borek and her team traveled to Hazard, Kentucky, a city of about 5,000 at the center of the flooding.
 
“There’s plenty of muddy water around,” Borek said. Her team navigated around closed roads, picked up barbecue from a local business and parked in a shopping center to give out meals.
 
“The people are so nice,” Borek said, “so friendly and so helpful and resilient – especially the ones who have lost everything.”
 
Borek said a lot of people stop to thank Red Crossers and other responders for coming to help, “Any time you walk into a store or get gas, people thank you for being there.”

August 3, 2022. Virgie, Kentucky.
A homeowner attempts make-shift repairs on the bridge leading to his home after the Kentucky flood disaster. American Red Cross Disaster Assessment teams go house-to-house, documenting the extent of the damage to develop the most effective recovery plan for those affected. Photo by Kevin Suttlehan/American Red Cross

Borek has volunteered with the Red Cross for the past 18 years and served on more than a dozen deployments to national disasters. This is her second trip to Kentucky in less than a year. She spent three weeks in Western Kentucky, helping people affected by the deadly late-season tornado outbreak in December 2021.
 
As for what keeps her going back and continuing to volunteer with the Red Cross, Borek simply said, “I just want to help people. They need it.”

Local Woman Dedicates Career to Teaching Students with Impairments to Swim

By: Nicole Roschella

Anywhere there is water there is risk of drowning, especially for children. Lexie Nieri, of Pittsburgh, has dedicated her career to teaching kids with impairments and disabilities how to be safe around water.

Nieri is an Adapted Aquatics Instructor at the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children and a Red Cross-certified lifeguard.

“I had no idea I could make this a full-time job,” said Nieri, who holds two degrees from Slippery Rock University.

Nieri works with students who have visual impairments, but most of them have other disabilities as well, such as autism. Drowning is the leading cause of death for children and adults with autism.

“Students with autism tend to be attracted to water. They know it’s quiet underwater and feels cool, but it can be really dangerous,” Nieri said. “That’s why it’s so important to teach students water safety. Drownings are preventable.”

Nieri appreciates that swimming is easy to modify for people and is relatively inexpensive. There are also few barriers to other students who may have different leg lengths or missing limbs.

“Especially for students who are overweight, due to medications causing weight fluctuations, it’s important for them to get that exercise,” Nieri said.

One of Nieri’s proudest moments was when she gave lessons to a boy who could not pass the swim test at his community pool. She worked with him one-on-one for a whole school year until he was finally able to swim in the deep end with his family and friends without having to be held or wear a lifejacket.

Nieri is passionate about Red Cross lifeguarding and encourages high schoolers to consider the job.

“You don’t need to be a star swimmer on the swim team to be a good lifeguard. You just have to be proficient,” Nieri said. “The Red Cross will teach you how to help people – that’s why there’s a certification course – and you practice with training. It’s a really great job to have as an older high school or college student.”

The American Red Cross Learn-to-Swim program is available at aquatic facilities across the country. Click here to find a Red Cross swim class near you. To learn more about Red Cross lifeguard certification, click here.