Tag Archives: Monica Bunner

One year after Maui wildfires, remembering the importance of help and hope

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By Tim Poe, American Red Cross volunteer

Today, August 8th marks the one-year anniversary of the Maui wildfires, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century. Most of the town of Lahaina was devastated. 3,710 homes were destroyed or made unlivable, and the confirmed death toll is now 102. As always, the American Red Cross quickly responded to the disaster and worked with partner organizations to bring much needed assistance.

Several workers from the Northern Ohio Region joined the disaster relief operation on Maui, including Regional CEO Mike Parks, Regional Disaster Officer Emily Probst, Disaster Program Manager Tim Reichel, and Regional Communications Director Jim McIntyre. Several regional volunteers deployed as well, including IT specialist Randy Liang and Medina-based volunteer Monica Bunner.

Photos, from top left: Ohio Representative Dave Joyce and Mike Parks, Emily Probst, Tim Reichel, Jim McIntyre and Monica Bunner

For the anniversary, I spoke with Monica, who deployed to Maui for three weeks in late August and early September 2023, serving in the Disaster Recovery Operation headquarters as a Community Engagement and Partnership Manager.

Since she began volunteering with the Red Cross in 2017, Monica has deployed to several national disasters and serves as a disaster responder among other roles here in Ohio. Even with such experience, she had seen nothing quite like the Maui wildfires’ aftermath.

Randy Liang and Monica Bunner

Seeing the area following the disaster was a bittersweet experience for Monica. She had been to Maui several times before, mostly for relaxation, and knew the community. “I felt I really needed to be there to help,” she said.

And help was desperately needed. Monica said that the level of devastation was so widespread, and that the disaster unfolded with such speed that many of those affected were dazed, shocked, confused, and did not know how to proceed.

There was an immediate need for Monica to put her experience and organizational skills to work. Hawaii-based Red Cross personnel worked closely with those deployed from across the U.S., and the Red Cross coordinated with partner relief organizations and community representatives.

Monica said engaging and working with community leaders was critical, as Maui’s population is exceptionally diverse. (Maui County states its cultural heritages include Hawaiian, Japanese, Caucasian, Filipino, Chinese, Korean, Tongan, Samoan, and others.) As some groups were unfamiliar with Red Cross services and the commitment to help everyone following a disaster, Monica said ensuring all those impacted knew they had somewhere to turn for help was important, and she made sure to take time for everyone.

Each day, Monica had a stark reminder of the devastation. The shelter and headquarters were on opposite sides of Lahaina, and with each commute she saw the fire’s remnants and the growing memorials to the many lost lives.

And each day, Monica also saw the importance of Red Cross services. She and other Red Cross personnel took part in helping people find food, shelter, and supplies, locate loved ones, get critical information, receive financial assistance, connect with partner organizations, and find friendly, helpful faces and smiles. And most importantly, through all this, they helped people find hope. Monica said there is, “Definitely hope. Always hope.”

Watch this video on the one-year anniversary of the Red Cross response to the Maui Wildfires:

Finally, disasters occur each day, including Tropical Storm Debby, the current Park Fire, and home fires. Please consider volunteering or supporting the Red Cross.

Editor’s note: Hurricane Debby’s torrential rains are exacerbating the national blood shortage announced by the Red Cross on Monday.

Debby’s devastating flooding, power outages and travel hazards have forced the cancellation of blood drives in the Southeast, causing hundreds of lifesaving blood products to go uncollected when more donations are so desperately needed.

Tuesday’s tornadoes in Northeast Ohio also resulted in cancelled blood drives on Wednesday, resulting in about 130 donations going uncollected.

Even as we work to overcome this blood shortage, the Red Cross is providing food, shelter and comfort to communities affected by the hurricane in the Southeast and wildfires in the West. And disaster workers in Northeast Ohio continue responding to requests for assistance from residents whose homes suffered structural damage.

People urgently need aid now. You can help by making an appointment to give blood or platelets or financial donation by visiting redcross.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (800- 733-2767).

Posted by Ryan Lang, American Red Cross volunteer

National Volunteer Week Profile: Monica Bunner

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Giving those in need “a hug, a smile, and some hope”

By Jim McIntyre, Regional Communications Director

Monica Bunner describes herself as “something of an adrenaline junkie.”

That’s a reasonable explanation for her willingness to go anywhere the American Red Cross is needed following a disaster. She said she’s not a “sit at the desk type of gal,” but needs to be physically involved.

Monica’s volunteer career with the Red Cross began in 2017. She was watching Hurricane Harvey unfold and felt she had to do something. She deployed to Houston to help, but not with the Red Cross. Not that time.

“A cause I already supported also needed help,” she said. That cause was Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. She was stationed at NRG Center, taking care of pets when she saw Red Cross workers helping people who needed shelter, and thought, “If I’m not doing the animals, maybe I can do the people thing.”

When she returned to Northeast Ohio, Monica began training to become a Red Cross disaster responder. She has helped people following home fires, installed smoke alarms, and assisted at fundraising events. And she began to deploy to help people who needed shelter following major disasters, such as flooding in southern Ohio, Hurricane Ian in Florida, and the devastating Maui wildfires in Hawaii.

Red cross volunteers Randy Liang and Monica Bunner in Maui, Hawaii

“I always wanted to make a difference, to work with communities, to give people some direction, a hug and a smile, and some hope.”

Monica has continued training to expand her skills, and now works primarily with community engagement and partnerships, helping the Red Cross connect with other resources to assist people who have been impacted by disasters. She also helps reunite families who are separated during disasters, and she helped establish Red Cross disaster communications in Puerto Rico.

Fluent in Spanish, Monica was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and emigrated to the U.S. with her family when she was a child. She worked at NASA’s Lewis Research Center in Cleveland, helping recruit and train women in non-traditional fields like science and engineering, and was on the team that recruited the first female U. S. astronauts.

Following her NASA career, Monica opened a real estate brokerage and a home rehabilitation business, noting how she was one of the first “female flippers.” And she has traveled to El Salvador with a church group to help build homes there.

Monica plans to continue connecting with and helping people in need through the Red Cross for the immediate future but admits the time will come to slow her frenetic pace. “This work is very physically, mentally and spiritually demanding,” she said. But it’s also rewarding. “I love the feeling of just connecting with people,” she said.

The Red Cross relies on more than 265,000 volunteers like Monica Bunner to fulfil its mission, and if you’d like to learn more, visit redcross.org/volunteer.

Posted by Ryan Lang, American Red Cross board member and volunteer

From Northeast to Southwest: American Red Cross is Ohio-strong

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NEO volunteers assisting residents affected by downstate tornadoes

More help from Northeast Ohio is on the way to tornado stricken Dayton and the surrounding area.  An Emergency Response Vehicle, which is stationed in Cleveland, will be deployed with a two-person crew to help provide meals and emergency supplies to residents affected by Monday night’s storms.

More than 130 Ohioans spent the night in 6 shelters last night.  They were among nearly 500 people who took refuge in more than 30 Red Cross and Community shelters in several states that have been hit hard by bad weather this week.

Red Cross volunteers Pam Williams and Monica Bunner working in Dayton

In addition to the ERV and its crew, six other disaster workers from Northeast Ohio are assigned to the relief operation, and are already in Dayton, fulfilling various roles – from mass care to government operations to reunification.

“Basically we help families reunite,” said Monica Bunner, a disaster volunteer from Medina. “Say someone is missing as a result of the disaster and could be in a shelter. The Safe & Well site allows one to register and send messages to loved ones to let them know they are OK.”

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                                           Photo credit:  Todd James/American Red Cross

Prepare in Advance

More spring storms are in the forecast this week for a vast swath of the country.  You can prepare for violent weather in the following ways:

Educate your family on how to use the Safe and Well website.

Assemble an emergency preparedness kit, which includes a battery-powered or hand-crank radio (NOAA Weather Radio). For a detailed list of supplies to include, see updated Be Red Cross Ready Checklist.

Create a household emergency plan that includes your pets.

Stay informed about your community’s risk and response plans.

Download the Emergency App for iPhone or for Android.

Remember, if you or a member of your household is an individual with access or functional needs, including a disability, consider developing a comprehensive evacuation plan in advance with family, care providers and care attendants, as appropriate.

Complete a personal assessment of functional abilities and possible needs during and after an emergency or disaster situation, and create a personal support network to assist.

Many kind-hearted people have offered to help, driven by the compassion that is typical of Northeast Ohioans.  While the Red Cross does not accept donations of items, we do encourage financial support. It is the quickest and best way to get help to the people who need it most, by allowing us to be flexible in the help we deliver.  Financial donations can be accessed quickly, and can ensure that we can provide the residents affected by the tornadoes what they need most.

You can donate to American Red Cross disaster relief by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS, or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

When Waters Rise, NEO Red Cross Responds – an Update

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By Doug Bardwell – American Red Cross volunteer

Combine rapidly melting snow with heavy rainfall, and there’s always the possibility for river flooding. Last February, those conditions occurred throughout the upper Midwest states.

From our Northeast Ohio chapters alone, 28 disaster staff were deployed throughout Ohio, Indiana and Michigan.  First and foremost, shelters were opened for those whose homes were in danger of flooding. A safe and warm place to stay was extremely welcomed by those affected. Health service related needs were also attended to by our other volunteers.

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Red Cross volunteers prepare to assist flood victims in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Photo provided by Monica Bunner/American Red Cross volunteer

Monica Bunner, a Disaster Action Team member from the Summit, Portage & Medina chapter, was one of the first from this area to be deployed. Originally dispatched to a moderate-sized shelter in a high school in southern Ohio, she and her team provided a warm place to stay overnight as well as a place to come during the day to warm up, shower and recharge both the body and the cellphone.

Monica recalls one of the first residents to come to the shelter (and probably the last to leave) was an elderly gentleman who needed to be woken up at 3:30 am each day.  He would then walk into town and work 16-hour shifts at a fast food restaurant. Arriving back at the shelter in the evening, he would have dinner and immediately retire, only to repeat the cycle the next day.  His resilience to the situation touched everyone who met him.

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Volunteers in New Richmond, Ohio

Another resident had been living in a trailer near the water, and as the level of the river rose, he recounted that a number of kittens living below his trailer started poking their heads up through the vents in his floor. He quickly reached down to grab as many as he could and brought them with him to the local animal shelter.  Each day he would leave the shelter and walk back to his neighborhood looking for other kittens to save. In all, he rescued eight kittens during the week Monica worked at the shelter.

After a week, Monica was reassigned to DES (Distribution of Emergency Supplies) across Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, sometimes driving as much as three and one-half hours to reach affected areas.

Red Cross volunteers like Monica respond to emergencies thousands of times each year. It is only through the generous donations of Americans that we can always be ready to respond whenever an emergency threatens.  Please consider donating today at redcross.org/neo.