Boston University

10/18/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 10/18/2024 12:59

BU Undergrad Helps Hurricane Victims as a Red Cross Volunteer

BU Undergrad Helps Hurricane Victims as a Red Cross Volunteer

Allie Baptiste (MET'25) has been working in Orlando- and Tampa Bay-area shelters for the past two weeks

Hurricane Milton caused extensive damage in Florida only days after Hurricane Helene passed through. Photo by mpi34/MediaPunch/IPX via AP

Student Life

BU Undergrad Helps Hurricane Victims as a Red Cross Volunteer

Allie Baptiste (MET'25) has been working in Orlando- and Tampa Bay-area shelters for the past two weeks

October 18, 2024
0
TwitterFacebook

Monstrous hurricanes Helene and Milton struck within two weeks of each other earlier this month, causing more than 250 deaths and $100 billion in damages throughout Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. BU student Allie Baptiste, who has been volunteering locally with the Red Cross for about a year, saw an opportunity to help.

Just before Hurricane Milton made landfall on October 9, Baptiste (MET'25) received an email from the American Red Cross seeking shelter volunteers. She felt inspired to act, especially by her dad, who had responded to Hurricane Katrina with the US Coast Guard in 2005. She signed up to work in a Red Cross shelter for Orlando- and Tampa-area families displaced by Hurricane Milton.

As of October 15, more than 2,000 people were staying in Red Cross shelters across the United States. All disaster assistance the Red Cross offers is free and provided through donations, partnerships, and volunteers like Baptiste.

"I have always wanted to deploy nationally with the Red Cross," says Baptiste, a part-time student working towards a bachelor's in psychology through BU's Metropolitan College. "I've grown up with stories of how important it is to help, especially in situations like this."

She gave her two MET professors a heads-up that she would miss classes for the volunteer work (she returns to Boston October 21) and says they were understanding and supportive. She says studying psychology has helped with some of the more emotionally difficult situations she has seen volunteering. "My major interest in psych is public health and housing, and having an academic background in trauma-informed care and disaster planning has helped me navigate this experience," she says.

BU Today spoke with Baptiste about what she saw on the ground in Florida and why she felt compelled to help.

Q&A

With Allie Baptiste

BU Today:What is your role as a volunteer for the Red Cross? What has this experience been like so far?

Baptiste:I came down as a shelter volunteer, so we have been working in a fixed location providing shelter for people displaced by [Hurricane Milton]. We provide food and water, and in my location, we even have showers and laundry facilities. Keeping people safe and comfortable is our goal. I've been on the night shift, but my favorite part has been getting to know the people here. Everyone's experience with this hurricane is different, and hearing their stories has taught me a lot. It's been very emotional, but I'm glad that I have the chance to be here.

BU Today:What are you seeing and hearing from people as you volunteer?

Baptiste:Emotions are definitely very high. A lot of people have lost everything, or are staying in a shelter for the first time, and that is very stressful. There is a lot of uncertainty. We hear a lot of worries and anxiety, but also a lot of hope. People share stories of their families, their pets, and the gardens that they are going home to replant.

BU Today:Is there a specific moment or instance that has stood out to you while volunteering?

Baptiste:Absolutely. It was a few days after [Hurricane Milton] and another volunteer and I were picking up supplies and had to ask an employee where something was. She was understandably exhausted with everything going on, but she saw my friend's Red Cross vest and immediately broke down and gave her a hug. I don't think I fully realized until that moment how much hope the Red Cross can bring. These communities have been hit hard the past couple of weeks, but they are already rebuilding. Seeing how the Red Cross assists emotionally in that process has been amazing.

BU Today:What has surprised you most about this experience?

Baptiste:How resilient everyone down here is, for sure. There are people who are experiencing this [type of destruction] for the first time and people who have lived here their whole lives, but every single person is determined to roll up their sleeves and keep going.

BU Today:What can people do to help both on a local and national level?

Baptiste:Definitely check out your local Red Cross chapter. There are always opportunities to help out, whether it's donating, behind the scenes work, or actual boots on the ground. We're largely volunteers, so any help is appreciated. But honestly, staying engaged and updated with the disaster response is a huge help. Keeping attention on the people and situation from Helene and Milton will hopefully direct more resources down here. There's a lot of work that needs to be done.

BU Today:What has your biggest takeaway from your volunteer work been and what have you learned about yourself?

Baptiste:[Our] presence here is everything, definitely. Taking the time and being there for people is sometimes the most important thing you can do for them. The Red Cross provides physical resources, for sure, but it's the showing up and the compassion that have really stood out to me. And it has helped cement my decision to pursue a career in public health and housing. I'm considering how I can build disaster response into that, as well.

Explore Related Topics:

  • Share this story
  • 0CommentsAdd

Share

BU Undergrad Helps Hurricane Victims as a Red Cross Volunteer

Copy URL:Copy

  • Crystal Yormick (COM'26)

    Crystal Yormick (COM'26) Profile

Comments & Discussion

Boston University moderates comments to facilitate an informed, substantive, civil conversation. Abusive, profane, self-promotional, misleading, incoherent or off-topic comments will be rejected. Moderators are staffed during regular business hours (EST) and can only accept comments written in English. Statistics or facts must include a citation or a link to the citation.

Post a comment. Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.Required fields are marked *

Comment*view guidelines
Name *
Email *
Submit Comment

Latest from BU Today