American Red Cross Latino Engagement Team Assists Spanish-Speaking Community After Recent Floods

Bernadette Villanueva

Story by Elizabeth Storey, American Red Cross Volunteer

It is hard to imagine surviving a natural disaster like a flood or tornado. Your home and possessions are ruined, and you don’t know what is going to happen. Now imagine not being able to communicate with those who come to offer help. The American Red Cross is working to solve this exact problem. One of the programs in place for this effort is the Latino Engagement Team (LET). After a national team was put into place years ago at Red Cross headquarters, local chapters are now following that lead. In the wake of a disaster, these volunteers deploy to areas with a large Latino population to help them navigate the process of finding immediate resources and get through long term recovery efforts.

Bernadette Villanueva is a member of the LET and was deployed to Nashville after the flooding in March 2021. Her time was spent ensuring the Latino community of Nashville had the services and information they needed to get through this disaster. “We had to wear many hats because there was such a need,” said Villanueva. This involved helping with meals, hotels, and coordinating with other local resources and organizations. However, being able to translate for the Latino community members is a significant part of the LET work.

“These families are not at home,” said Villanueva. “They don’t have their belongings. They’re trying to maneuver work and getting their kids to school from a different place because they’re in a hotel now. Even will all of that, they’re also maneuvering the language.”

Bernadette Villanueva, pictured center wearing her Red Cross vest, works along side of community partners to assist Spanish-speaking community members after the severe spring flooding in Middle Tennessee.

“They call in to say, ‘what does this mean’ and then you end up sharing a conversation. When we can have those small conversations with them, it is a big relief for them and for us. They know they can reach us. It’s very rewarding and nice that the team can have contact directly with the Spanish speaking clients. It’s very important and special to experience.”

The LET and the Nashville Mayor’s Office hosted a joint press conference to explain what the Red Cross does, how to get involved and to create awareness for the need for Spanish speaking volunteers. At the national level, the Red Cross Training Services are working to translate the volunteer onboarding process into different languages, to help deliver the mission to more communities.  If someone wants to volunteer and English is not their first language, they will still be able to sign up and contribute. To find out more about volunteering with the American Red Cross, go to RedCross.org/Volunteer.

Married Couple Conduct Disaster Assessment in Mid-West Tennessee After Spring Storms

Val and Sarah Deutsch

By Elizabeth Storey, American Red Cross Volunteer

Several weather events struck the areas around Jackson, Tennessee in the final days of March. First, flash flooding, then high winds and even more rain and flooding. Two Mid-West Tennessee Chapter volunteers stepped up and completed disaster assessment across four counties during and after the storms. 

Val and Sarah Deutsch got a phone early on a Sunday morning about some wind damage in Grand Junction. Val, the Disaster Assessment Coordinator for the Mid-West Tennessee Chapter, assembled two teams, one to assess damage in neighboring Hardeman County and the other to Henderson County. “When we have a disaster, we need to know the scope of it before any other departments can take action,” Val said. “We have to be the first ones on the ground, and we have to be quick.”

Sarah’s team near Grand Junction saw several homes had been destroyed and learned how the residents had survived. “One house looked like it had exploded,” she said, “The owner was in there and not hurt at all. Another house had a tree come down on it. The people were in bed and it just happened that it didn’t hit them. They said they could look out and rain was coming in on them. You just don’t know how they walked out of it.”

Sunday was only the beginning of a two-week deployment of damage assessment for the two. Many Mid-West Tennessee Chapter volunteers were deployed to Nashville during this time to help with the flooding there so the two dedicated volunteers took on the local damage assessment work themselves. The next day, they received a phone call about damage in another community, Selmer. Once again, hitting the road to check out damages. Their assessments continued day after day as conditions worsened. “We went from Selmer to Grand Junction, just riding and see what damage we could find and assessing it,” Sarah said. “For two weeks, we did a lot of running.”

Over the two weeks of work, the two noticed a pattern of damage. “By the time we were through looking, we had a whole path of wind damage that just linked up,” Sarah said. Homes were damaged in what looked like a true tornado path. “We followed the path of it. For about a week we just got out and rode the country roads,” Sarah said. “A lot of it was country with trees down and a few houses that were hit.”

That week’s series of weather events meant they were looking for different types of damage every day. “It was a big regional disaster,” Val said, “It changed character every couple of days. We’d have a pocket of massively destroyed houses and then one or two out of the way. Then 30-40 miles away, it would come back down again and a whole bunch of houses destroyed. It wasn’t in one confined area, so we were out hunting a lot.”

This dedicated pair spent more than 80 hours traveling throughout the damaged countryside and they believe they were able to assist everyone and get clients back in their homes. Because their roles require them to assess damage quickly, that leaves little time for interacting with the residents of damaged homes, but there’s still time for an encouraging word. “When they see the Red Cross car, they just come running to us,” Sarah said. “We make sure to talk to them and let them know the Red Cross is here and will help them as much as we can to get back on their feet and back in their homes.”

Does COVID-19 vaccination impact blood donation eligibility?

This spring as COVID-19 vaccines become more available and people resume some of their favorite activities, the American Red Cross is reminding the public that the need for blood remains. Healthy individuals are encouraged to make a blood donation appointment now. But what about those who’ve received a COVID-19 vaccine – can they donate? 

As long as donors are symptom-free, feeling well and can provide the vaccine manufacturer’s name, there’s no waiting period required after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine currently authorized in the U.S. Additional blood donation eligibility information is available at RedCrossBlood.org/Eligibility. 

Three reasons not to wait to donate:

·         Donors, especially those with type O blood, are needed in May to help ensure blood products are available for patients now and into summer.

·         Those who come to give blood, platelets or plasma in May will be automatically entered for a chance to win a travel trailer camper that sleeps five, powered by Suburban Propane.*

·         Plus, those who make it in to give May 1-15 will receive a $5 Amazon.com Gift Card by email, courtesy of Suburban Propane.** 

Schedule an appointment now to give blood and make it a summer full of life for patients. Appointments can be made by downloading the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enabling the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device. 

* Restrictions apply. Winner must provide tow vehicle with the appropriate tow capacity for use with the prize vehicle at all times, i.e., such as a full-sized truck or SUV, in order to take delivery of the prize (2021 Coachmen Clipper Cadet 21CBH, estimated at 5,000 pounds). Additional information and details are available at RedCrossBlood.org/SummerFullOfLife.

** Restrictions apply. Additional information and details are available at RedCrossBlood.org/SummerFullOfLife.