Canadian Red Cross volunteer recalls Hurricane Katrina
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Canadians generously contributed $31 million to the Canadian Red Cross appeal for Hurricane Katrina. The Canadian Red Cross arranged for the shipment of supplies and deployed 238 volunteers to Louisiana, Texas, Alabama and other states. Several volunteers from Atlantic Canada were among those who supported the unprecedented relief efforts of the American Red Cross.
Fredericton resident Charles Newman is a disaster management volunteer with the Canadian Red Cross. He was deployed for more than three weeks to the Red Cross headquarter in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where he was given the task of managing local volunteer recruitment activities. “I was responsible for a number of volunteers and hired phone operators who would recruit qualified volunteers for specific assignments, whether it was for one day or a few weeks,” explains Charles Newman. He would then take part in the interviewing, orientation and scheduling for new volunteers.
“They know my bags are always packed,” says Charles Newman about his quick deployment to the devastated area five years ago. The trained and seasoned volunteer had previously responded to other disasters in the United States including 9/11 and hurricanes in Porto Rico, Georgia, Alabama and Louisiana. In 2008, he also responded to flooding along the St. John River in his hometown in New Brunswick.
Related
- Contact your local Canadian Red Cross about volunteer opportunities in Canada
- Visit our careers page to learn more about working internationally for the Red Cross
