Canonsburg woman headed to Louisiana to help hurricane victims
A Canonsburg woman will be boarding an airplane this afternoon, heading for Baton Rouge, La., as a volunteer with American Red Cross to help set up shelters for victims of Hurricane Harvey.
Catherine Morgan said Saturday she has been a part of hurricane relief efforts in the past, but that experience was in helping the four-legged victims of Hurricane Katrina north of New Orleans in 2004.
Morgan, who has been a Red Cross volunteer since November, helped out with the organization’s efforts in setting up a shelter at New Eagle Volunteer Fire Department Social Hall during Monongahela River flooding earlier this summer.
“I have an idea what to expect, but each situation is different,” Morgan said. “People will be distressed because of the large amount of uncertainty.”
Morgan is not sure if Baton Rouge will be her final destination.
“I just know I am to report there,” Morgan said. “They will move us based on need so I could go in a number of different ways.”
Morgan, who is the only volunteer from Washington County who has been deployed, is one of about 15 volunteers from Western Pennsylvania that has been sent to areas affected by Hurricane Harvey, said Dan Tobin, director or marketing and communications for the American Red Cross Western Pennsylvania Region.
“Each of the volunteers have different skill sets,” Tobin said, adding there are mental health professionals, logistics people and those specializing in mass food preparation.
The volunteers are rotated out after two weeks, he said the Red Cross will be in the area hit by the hurricane as long as it is needed.
Morgan spent Saturday getting her household ready for her departure as she leaves behind her husband, adult daughter and two dogs for about two weeks.
The Canonsburg woman said she has been retired for about two years and was looking for something to do to give back. She said the American Red Cross piqued her interest because of the different volunteer opportunities. Morgan said she is a blood donor ambassador and was working at a blood drive Friday so she was not able to leave with some of the other volunteers.