The American Red Cross has had the privilege of supporting Points of Distributions Sites (PODS) throughout the cities that were impacted by Hurricane Laura.  As Hurricane Laura made landfall late Wednesday night into the early morning hours of Thursday, August 27th, uncertainty about the impact of the storm weighed on the communities of southeast and deep east Texas and their Louisiana neighbors.  When it was all said and done, the storm caused significant damage to thousands of homes in those communities and left even more without power.  As a result of the power outages and storm damage, thousands also lost food and had little access to potable water.

The American Red Cross has a history of supporting and working along side agencies in times of disaster and great need.  This time was no exception.  To help support the communities impacted by Hurricane Laura, the Red Cross supported several PODS initiated by the state to distribute supplies to impacted residents.  One such POD was a distribution site in Kirbyville, Texas with Texas Army National Guard soldiers from the 236 Engineers Company who made the long five and-a-half-hour journey from Stephenville, Texas to assist.  They arrived in Kirbyville, Texas early in the afternoon and with the searing Texas sun beating down on them and the heat worsening as time went on, the unit got to work and distributed meals and snacks provided by the Red Cross.  The unit also assisted church volunteers with relief efforts at the First Baptist Church by distributing water and ice.

Helping people after disasters is a team effort and no single organization can do it alone – this is particularly true in this current environment.  The Red Cross works with local, state, government and community partners to help communities recover from disasters big and small.  You can join the Red Cross and help people before, during and after disasters by becoming a volunteer.  Learn more at RedCross.org/Volunteer.

Story and photo by Elvia Alaniz, South Texas Chapter volunteer.