Red Cross Disaster Action Team provides comfort, resources

HAWKINS COUNTY — When most people think about the Red Cross, Dawn Day said, they think about aid for the big disasters — hurricanes, floods, tornadoes — and blood drives. They might not think about the smaller, but still devastating, events like residential fires. Day is the executive director of the organization's Northeast Tennessee chapter, which covers 14 counties. Across that area, Day said their Disaster Action Team responds to around 260 house fires a year. DAT members are the boots-on-the-ground volunteers who connect people with free resources from the Red Cross and beyond. First responders call them to the scene. Volunteers bring a comfort kit with toiletries and other items, money to cover temporary living expenses and information on what to do next. They also bring a steadying presence to the disaster survivors, whom the Red Cross refer to as clients. In a survey, the Red Cross asked fire clients which DAT service meant the most to them. "I thought it was going to be the money," Day said. "It wasn't. It was the fact that we were there." While Day said she was shocked by this response, it's not the only time she's heard the sentiment. Once, a man approached Day to talk about the Disaster Action Team. He had been a fire client. As he watched his house burn down, a volunteer named Ray stood beside him. They didn't talk, at first. They just witnessed the fire together. "You can never know how much that meant to me, for him just to stand there," the man told Day. "That was worth more to me than anything else [the Red Cross] could've done." While DAT largely responds to house fires, volunteers also help out with those big disasters, as well as preventative measures. Nancy Hudson, a retired EMS worker who lives in Church Hill, has volunteered with DAT for about three years. She's helped with tornado recovery in western Tennessee and setting up shelters after Hurricane Helene in Elizabethton and Greeneville. Lately, Hudson has put her knowledge of sign language to use by installing smoke detectors for deaf people. These alarms are designed to have more visual and tactile elements. Hudson said her volunteer work has been very fulfilling. "If you enjoy helping others, it's another way to be able to respond to people's needs," she said. The Red Cross is looking for volunteers in Hawkins County, especially those who speak more than one language. Day will host a free DAT training session on Saturday, Jan. 31 at the East Rogersville Baptist Church from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Valerie Bauselm attended an earlier DAT training in Church Hill. She said she was inspired by the opportunity to help someone on their worst day. "As long as we're in this world," she said, "we have to try to help as much as we can." To learn more about the Disaster Action Team and volunteering, visit redcross.org/volunteer.