Amid a flooded environment, helpless victims and working alongside fellow volunteers, Angie Gallas is finding her purpose.
This week, Gallas, a volunteer with the American Red Cross Central Maryland Chapter, arrived in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, a city of about 125,000, to aid victims of this month’s flooding and tornados that wreaked havoc across the state and other Midwest states.
“It’s pretty bad. It’s kind of like you emptied all the contents of your house, poured it out and wet it, said Gallas, a Laurel native. “The lines of people waiting to see the Red Cross are so long.”
Just last week, almost 4,000 homes in Iowa were evacuated after the Cedar River poured over its banks after several days of heavy rain, according to Iowa emergency officials.
Iowa Gov. Chet Culver has already declared 55 of Iowa’s 99 counties as state disaster areas.
Gallas is making her first national disaster trip and will help flood victims get the services they need, whether they completely lost their homes or need other shelter, food or clothing.
She’s currently staying in a University if Northern Iowa dorm with other volunteers and will be dispatched to one of 12 Red Cross service delivery sites where she’ll meet with the victims.
“There’s a lot of thinking on yourfeet. You’re always assessing and evaluating,” she said. “You’re a listening ear for them.”
In addition to the satisfaction from helping people, Gallas has learned to connect with strangers and fellow volunteers who, like her, have come from across the country.
“You’re sharing rooms with people you’ve never met before in your life,” she said. “It’s interesting to see. There’s a lot of retired military and government workers.”
Gallas is not the only resident helping in the Midwest. Wen Pan, of Ellicott City, has been in Cedar Rapids for over a week as an emergency response vehicle driver.
In order to travel to a national disaster site, a special Red Cross certification is required, in which volunteers are trained on the specific site and residents’ needs.
Back home in Howard County, Gallas uses these same skills as a member of a disaster action team that goes out to house or apartment fires to work with victims and figure out their needs.
“It can be anything from financial help to getting food,” said Doug Lent, a public affairs associate with the Red Cross, who himself just returned from a week stint in Iowa.
Volunteers with the chapter spend anywhere from a week to three weeks helping disaster victims outside the area, he said.
In this particular assignment, Gallas has committed to serving three weeks, but it could be less time depending on what’s accomplished.
“It’s great to come here and see how a national disaster site operates,” she said.
