Hurricane Relief Efforts

Red Cross Hurricane Relief Efforts Continues in Southeast 

Written by Bonnie Gillespie, Staff Writer 
and Photographer, RedCross.org

Saturday, September 18, 2004 — 
Pensacola, Florida - “You never think something like this is going to happen to you.”

Debra Ditta of Orange Beach shared the sentiment of thousands of Hurricane Ivan victims as she sifted through her debris-covered yard near the Gulf Coast. Ivan’s pounding surf sent up to three feet of water crashing into Ditta’s home, saturating its interior and sucking the family’s belongings into the storm’s murky waters.

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The Ditta family is not alone. In the wake of Hurricane Ivan’s landfall on Sept. 16, more than one million residents in 10 states are still without power, thousands more have no water or phone service, and anxieties are growing with each passing day.

Lines for gas and ice snaked for miles through the streets of storm-battered Pensacola, clogging roadways and fueling frustrations for many local residents, who waited for hours in the sweltering summer sun only to be turned away.

Like other areas blasted by Ivan’s 130 mph winds, some portions of Pensacola may not have electricity for weeks, heightening the demand for gas to power generators. Meanwhile, widespread flooding is imminent in Appalachia, Georgian farmlands are devastated and with the death toll now at 40, Ivan has become the deadliest hurricane to make U.S. landfall since Floyd in 1999.

In the midst of the disaster, though, the American Red Cross is offering steadfast support to storm victims, from hurricane-weary Florida, to the Carolinas and beyond. Fifty-six Emergency Response Vehicles (ERVs) are stocked with meals, water and additional supplies for distribution to victims of Ivan, while thousands of evacuees are still awaiting clearance to return to their ravaged coastal towns and neighborhoods. And for many, “home” has become their local Red Cross shelter.

Charley's destructive force was concentrated in a narrow ring around the eye; it has been likened to a tornado 10 miles wide. Ivan's most destructive winds easily could be twice as wide. Frances didn't have winds that packed that punch, but its inchworm pace across the state left 6 to 8 inches of rain everywhere in its wake.

Red Cross volunteers are manning 152 shelters throughout the areas impacted by Ivan. Almost 24,000 displaced hurricane victims and evacuees remain in the safety of Red Cross shelters, where they receive food, water and other emergency supplies as the storm’s effects continue to linger.

Cox, who managed a Red Cross shelter before and during Ivan, said he slept less than five hours over a four day period, typifying the dedication of Red Cross volunteers during times of need. But he said the experience was well worth it because the residents were so thankful.

“When they were leaving after the storm they hugged all of us and told us how much they appreciated everything,” he said. “But then, what got us, was they wanted to know how to pay us, how they could give back. So I said, ‘Hey, send a check to the Red Cross and that’ll help everybody.”

And many hurricane victims would agree that donating is indeed the most practical way to help.

“I remember watching TV after Charley hit and feeling so sorry for those people,” said Ditta, who once served as a Red Cross fundraiser in her community. “I went into the office the next day and wrote a check out, and now I’m right where they were.”