Red Cross workers from chapters across Iowa are stationed along the East Coast, helping residents recover from the weekend hit by Hurricane Irene. Danelle Schlegelmilch, with the Heartland Chapter in Omaha/Council Bluffs, is deployed in Washington D.C. where thousands of residents have been overnighting in Red Cross shelters. She says the damage ranges from North Carolina to Maine.

“It is kind of mind-boggling to think about the number of people who were impacted,” Schlegelmilch says. “I heard a statistic there are close to 50 or 60-million people, and that would be about 15 to 18-percent of our population in the United States, all lived in that affected area.” Schlegelmilch says most people have no choice but to head to a shelter for the basics of life.

She says, “Here on the East Coast, there is literally nowhere else for people to go when things like this happen so they really depend on the Red Cross and our partner agencies to be there to be able to provide the essentials of comfort, care, food.” Schlegelmilch was sent to Washington D.C. last week to prepare for Hurricane Irene but she got a bonus, of sorts.

“Actually, I was deployed for the hurricane but ended up in an earthquake by accident,” she says. “It’s been one of those summers I couldn’t have ever predicted. I’ve worked three tornadoes, a flood, a hurricane and was in an earthquake, so it’s one for the books for sure.”

Many people remain stranded at airports with hundreds of fights canceled. It could be weeks before electricity is restored in some areas as four-million homes lost power in the storm. At least 40 people died in Irene in 14 states and territories. Flooding is now a big problem in Vermont, New York and elsewhere.

Schlegelmilch expects the Red Cross shelters will be open for some time as the region recovers. Damage may reach seven-billion dollars.

The chapter of the American Red Cross that covers southwestern Iowa and eastern Nebraska is launching a series of disaster orientation classes in hopes of bringing in new volunteers to assist others in recovering from tornadoes, floods and other catastrophes. Andrea Noon, spokeswoman for the Heartland Chapter, says they’re running short on help.

“We really do need the volunteers,” Noon says. “We’ve had over 30 disaster operations going since late March. With the situations that are happening, we’re going to need more local volunteers as well, so that’s why we’ve added more training classes to get those volunteers prepared for the classes and the things they are going to need to do.” Among the requirements, Noon says volunteers need to be at least 18 years old.

“Anybody who wants to volunteer has to take our Disaster Orientation class,” she says. “That’s the basic overview about the Red Cross, about how we work with our volunteers and then what you would experience on a disaster relief operation. That is a requirement before anybody can be deployed or take some of these more specialized courses.” Noon says if you want to be sent on a disaster mission, make sure you can get the time off from work or school.

“What we’re looking at right now is a two-to-three-week deployment period,” Noon says. “That’s something that people have to consider. We also have specialized deployments for medical personnel as well.” Noon says they had more than 100 people attend an orientation meeting several days ago and she hopes that trend continues. Specialty classes include basic food safety, shelter operations, disaster assessments and bulk distribution.

The chapter is based in Omaha/Council Bluffs. Learn more at “RedCrossOmaha.org” or call (402) 343-7700.

Teams of volunteers from the Heartland Chapter of the American Red Cross are now in the Deep South, helping residents recover from last week’s massive tornado outbreak. One team from Omaha/Council Bluffs is in Little Rock, Arkansas, while chapter spokeswoman Danelle Schlegelmilch is in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. She calls the widespread damage “heartbreaking.”

“I’m seeing destruction like I’ve never seen it before,” Schlegelmilch says. “You try and prepare mentally before going on something like this but you just can’t. It looks like someone just took a giant lawn mower and mowed down a good chunk of Tuscaloosa. There’s damage to homes and businesses, major stores and restaurants. It’s mind-boggling.”

Schlegelmilch says more than 600 central Alabama residents spent the night in the Red Cross shelter a night ago. She says she’s very encouraged by the resilience of the people whose homes were flattened. “Even if they don’t have anything, as long as they have their loved ones, and you ask them, ‘How are you doing?’ and they say, ‘I’m blessed,’” she says.

“They’re more worried about their friends and neighbors than themselves a lot of the time. That’s just what touches my heart. They have nothing but they’re willing to give what they do have to each other. It’s very humbling, to say the least.” Last week’s storms left more than 300 people dead in six states in one of the worst tornado outbreaks in decades. Schlegelmilch says it’s easy for Iowans to help.

“All you have to do is go online to RedCross.org or text message “Red Cross” to 90999 and donate $10,” she says. “Being on the ground, seeing these people, it’s heartbreaking and any penny you can give will go a very long ways here.” Schlegelmilch says the Red Cross will be in Tuscaloosa, Birmingham and Little Rock for weeks to help tornado survivors get back on their feet.

The agency is providing food, shelter, clothing, medical care and more. It’s been a busy two weeks for Red Cross teams as they’ve responded to disasters in 25 states to help people affected by floods, tornadoes and wild fires.

See pictures of the tornado damage here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/americanredcross/sets/72157626049807007/with/5684363900/>

Cooler, drier weather is providing a welcome break for Iowans who are working to clean up their flood-damaged homes, as well as for Red Cross workers who’ve also had a hectic couple of weeks. High water forced hundreds of Iowans from their homes from one corner of the state to the other.

So far, Red Cross spokeswoman Jennifer Pickar says 95 agency workers operating from four emergency response vehicles have handed out 200 hygiene kits, 750 home clean-up kits and 4,500 free meals.

“It’s quite an operation,” Pickar says. “We couldn’t do this without assistance from the public so we do encourage people to donate. You’re helping your neighbors through the Red Cross.” She says specially-trained teams are still fanned out across flooded areas doing damage assessment.

Pickar says, “We have had shelters open which now are transitioning more into meal sites, places where residents can pick up clean-up kits and booklets that help walk them through the process of rebuilding, returning to their homes, what they need to throw out, getting them on track for recovery.” She says people need to take care of themselves physically and emotionally and should consider the Red Cross as a shoulder to lean on.

“Reality is probably setting in a little bit more now that the floodwaters are starting to recede and they’re starting to see all of the work that they have ahead of them,” Pickar says. “We do have counselors available at different service sites in the affected communities but people can call in, too, to get help.”

To reach a counselor, to volunteer or to donate money, call 800-Red Cross, or visit “www.redcross.org“.

Photo courtesy of the Red Cross.