Local media in Texas have been covering the efforts of the Red Cross to offer care to residents affected by Hurricane Harvey.  The following excerpt appeared in an article in the Killeen Daily Herald on September 6, 2017:

…Meanwhile, Red Cross Shelter Manager Jackie Speciale, a resident of Woodstock, Illinois, is technically on vacation. Some people dream of a tropical destination or a week at a ski lodge. Speciale requested two weeks of vacation from her boss and hopped on a plane to Killeen. Her husband’s back home, going into work late every day this week so he can drop their children off at school.

“For each person you see here with the Red Cross, there’s four or five people behind them,” she said.

She stood in the library with Jason Humphrey, another Red Cross volunteer from the Midwest. The Akron, Ohio, resident was volunteering in his fifth natural disaster. His volunteer work has brought him to Arkansas for tornado relief and New Jersey after Hurricane Sandy. He works as a security guard at concerts, so his work schedule has a bit more flexibility than most. But still, he dropped everything, for the fifth time in his life, to help those who needed it.

“Somebody’s taking care of my dog,” he said with a laugh.

To read more about the volunteers from across the country who have responded to Hurricane Harvey in Killeen, Texas, click here.

To start a volunteer application, visit this page on our website.

September 2, 2017. Wharton, Texas. A Red Cross worker assesses damage and standing water levels in Wharton, Texas nine days after Hurricane Harvey made impact in Texas. Photo by Daniel Cima for the American Red Cross

September 2, 2017. Port Aransas, Texas. An Emergency Response Vehicle drives through Port Aransas, Texas. Photo by Chuck Haupt/American Red Cross

September 2, 2017. Port Aransas, Texas. An Emergency Response Vehicle drives through Port Aransas, Texas. Photo by Chuck Haupt/American Red Cross

September 2, 2017. Port Aransas, Texas. Red Cross volunteer carries a cleanup kit to a home in Port Aransas, Texas. Photo by Chuck Haupt/American Red Cross

September 7, 2017. Sugar Land, Texas. Red Cross volunteers Julie Fox, left and Diana Ochsner reacts to Julie going to adopt the dog that a Hurricane Harvey victim had to leave behind. Photo by Chuck Haupt for the American Red Cross

September 7, 2017. Sugar Land, Texas. Red Cross Volunteer Julie Fox from the Western and Central New York Region gets to visit the 10-week-old Labrador-Pitt Bull mix puppy that she is going to adopt at the home of a local animal rescuer. Julie, on her first deployment, was at a kitchen in Sugar Land, Texas, when a Hurricane Harvey victim, who was leaving the state, dropped the puppy off to her and quickly left. Julie lost her home to a fire last year, which her dog and cat died. “Everything happens for a reason,” she said, “this puppy was meant for me to take back home.” She appropriately named her new pet, Harvey. Photo by Chuck Haupt for the American Red Cross

September 8, 2017. Wharton, Texas. A scene from Wharton, Texas, showing the extent of damage caused by Hurricane Harvey to a neighborhood. This photo also shows the new generation Emergency Response Vehicle. Photo by Chuck Haupt for the American Red Cross

September 8, 2017. Wharton, Texas. A scene from Wharton, Texas, showing the extent of damage caused by Hurricane Harvey to a neighborhood. This photo also shows the new generation Emergency Response Vehicle. Photo by Chuck Haupt for the American Red Cross

Photos following Hurricane Harvey in Texas/ Credit: Chuck Haupt/American Red Cross