MONTICELLO, FL — When a major storm hits, help isn’t always just down the road—but it might be right next door.
- Red Cross training in Jefferson County empowers neighbors to assist during disasters.
- The program covers essential shelter setup skills.
- Watch the video below to learn more about the Red Cross’s greatest need.
Red Cross training program equips neighbors to respond to disasters effectively
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
In a disaster, sometimes the first to assist are your neighbors.
"It's the greatest need we have in the United States," Red Cross Community Disaster Program Manager Kathy Bland said.
I’m Lentheus Chaney, your Monticello neighborhood reporter, talking with a neighbor and disaster response trainer about how the Red Cross is empowering neighbors to be the help their community needs.
Here in Jefferson County—where just over 14,000 people call home—major storms can mean long waits for outside aid. But Saturday, a free Red Cross training gave dozens of neighbors the skills to step in and serve when it matters most.
From setting up shelter cots to serving meals and offering emotional support, the class covered what it takes to run a safe, compassionate shelter during emergencies.
For Monticello native Valerie Welch, the decision to join the training was personal.
“You might be in a situation where you need help and I have the knowledge now that I didn’t have before to be able to help myself in a crisis situation. And you might be that person you know that needs help,” Welch said.
The session was led by Kathy Bland, community disaster program manager for the American Red Cross. She says the need for volunteers like Welch is growing—and not just locally.
“With Red Cross, we have been a continuous disaster response for at least the past five years where there is a disaster happening in the United States concurrently all the time,” Bland said.
In those critical first hours, when families may have lost everything, Bland says nothing matters more than human connection.
"The biggest need and the biggest one that we show up for is sheltering. So we wanna make sure that there are volunteers there to welcome these clients in who have been through some of the worst days of their lives,” Bland said.
Participants earned certificates of completion—and can now volunteer in future Red Cross deployments. Bland says more sessions are on the way.
In Monticello, I’m Lentheus Chaney, ABC27.
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