“Even remotely, I feel connected"

Volunteers deploy virtually to provide diaster relief from home

By Stefanie Millette

Zoom in on any current Disaster Response Operation, and it’s obvious that 2020 is far from typical. In 2019, a community member might have seen American Red Cross disaster responders at a large-scale event on the news and imagined that all involved were far away. But now, especially with COVID-19, the setting for responders could be as close as your own backyard. 

Virtual volunteers serve a variety of roles in the Red Cross and can be based anywhere with internet access. Right now, in homes across the Northern New England Region, responders are supporting relief efforts from their home office, kitchen, or maybe even the couch. We showed up on the virtual stoop of three such volunteers last week to learn about their experiences, most recently supporting those impacted by Hurricane Laura in Louisiana and Texas.

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On virtual deployments, David Allen shares a home office with Boo Radley the German shepherd

When Jessica Waters picks up her phone at 8 a.m. from her home in Vermont, there is a moment of extra anticipation. “I knew you’d be calling,” she says, “but I’m also expecting other calls for a new disaster response that’s about to begin. And it’s my largest yet.” It’s quickly evident that this upcoming deployment is not Jessica’s first rodeo – in fact, it is her eighth consecutive since July.

Jessica thinks in this virtual role, she has found her Red Cross home. “Even remotely, I feel connected. It’s an honor to see the intricacies of logistics as I gain experience. Plus, I don’t have to adjust to new surroundings with each new deployment, so I feel more responsive and energized.” Jessica has developed a rhythm that sustains the ebb and flow of a disaster cycle, with her cats and husband’s delicious cooking keeping her grounded during the longest days.

“One of my superpowers is being charming on the phone,” says Jessica. This superpower comes in handy as she supports all booking, extensions, and cancellation of lodging during a disaster and communicates with workforce members and hotels, Red Cross’s appreciated partners. “We’re asking a LOT of our hotels. In Alabama and Mississippi, we moved our workforce every day”.

During our call, she’s stretching her superpower muscles, preparing for her largest assignment yet – joining a larger lodging team that will support over 4,000 people impacted by Hurricane Laura in Louisiana. If that number sounds high, it’s nothing compared to what it would be if virtual volunteers were counted. 

Before this spring, David Allen would have been counted as an in-person volunteer. Located just up the road from Jessica in Vermont, David’s Red Cross journey began in sheltering, but has become more specialized in recent years.

A former consultant, CEO and CFO, David has leveraged his background into supporting Vermont’s emergency response efforts as a Red Cross government operations supervisor and supporting disaster financial management. Prior to COVID-19, these positions were performed in person – often in makeshift offices, with folding furniture and borrowed equipment.

During his current deployment as a finance generalist manager supporting people impacted by Hurricane Laura, David is executing days of voicemails, emails, Zoom meetings and spreadsheets from a home office he shares with a German Shepherd named Boo Radley. Interactions with colleagues of the human variety are more elusive than they typically would be on a physical Red Cross deployment. A key function of David’s role is to answer questions about expenditures that leaders at disaster sites have the most awareness of.

In the golden days of 2019, if David had a question regarding a financial matter, he could physically find his colleague, get the answer he needed and move on. Now, tracking down the answers requires patience and multiple options to field workers for providing a reply. A challenge, “but not impossible!” says David. 

John Keppler has also encountered his own share of surmountable challenges from his home in New Hampshire, as he leads training for disaster workforce members in Texas. The Red Cross has a knack for attracting highly qualified trainers, and John is no exception. On top of 10 years of deployment experience including for Sandy, Irene, Irma and Florence, he has also been involved in emergency preparedness and planning efforts in his home region.

John Keppler virtually trains disasters responders in COVID-19 from his home.

As a virtual trainer, he spends his days chasing COVID-19 training stragglers, providing workforce orientations for incoming volunteers and training supervisors on reporting and evaluation. Since his role became remote, orientation attendance presented some initial challenges. Were he physically on a job site, he could corral new volunteers into their orientation and review rental cars, mission cards, and other logistics face to face. To compensate for not being physically there, John has improvised to make “missing” orientation practically impossible – from changing schedules around volunteer shifts, to pre-recording a “self-training” option.

In many ways, virtual deployments are similar to physical ones. All three of our Northern New England volunteers agreed that on a busy day at the disaster response site, there is not a lot of downtime back at home. They spoke with some wistfulness about the camaraderie of in-person volunteering in the field. However, all three also recognized the strengths of virtual volunteerism that could attract more remote Red Cross volunteers if they were considered. Benefits of deploying at home include uninterrupted companionship of pets and loved ones, sleeping in one’s own bed, home cooked meals after a nonstop day – and the absence of the alligators. “Yes, alligators! There was an all staff meeting recently where alligators were included in the list of local wildlife to be aware of,” says David.

If there can be a greater strength than the absence of alligators, it is the flexibility to select a role that fits your lifestyle. Like in-person deployments, the frequency and schedule of virtual roles varies depending on the preference of the individual.

John spaces out his deployments by weeks or more to allow for decompression in between. Maintaining that balance has allowed him to serve the Red Cross for over 10 years while working and balancing community commitments.

Jessica has had a different capacity and, therefore, a different approach this summer. She has deployed over eight times in just a few months, but has carved out mental space for herself as needed to stay sharp and balanced. “I’ve been going into a meditative state for the past few days, clearing my mind,” says Jessica. “I’m standing in my kitchen, the call could come any minute. And I’m ready.”

To learn more about volunteer opportunities  – both virtual and in person  – visit redcross.org/volunteertoday.