‘We Met Miss Wanda’: How a Local Red Cross Disaster Worker Brought Comfort to Spokane Wildfire Evacuees

“I have a small, assisted living business, managing two adult family homes in north Spokane. On Saturday, I was doing my errands and one of my caregivers called me and said that we’ve been told to evacuate. I knew there were fires and a lot of smoke, but I didn’t know that it was going to affect our area. They told us to go to the shelter at the convention center.”

From there, Rose Chebe prepared her residents, staff of caregivers and her own family to transition to the American Red Cross evacuation shelter at the Spokane Convention Center.

“We got everybody in the cars and they told us to go to the convention center. We had 12 of my residents, caregivers and my husband, daughter and I. Everybody panicked. Then we met Miss Wanda.”

Wanda Martinez-Johncox serves as a Community Disaster Program Specialist in the Greater Rochester chapter in the Western New York region. Before starting her role in 2019, she served as a Greater Rochester Board member and Red Cross volunteer for six years, deploying to disasters big and small here at home and across the country.

She is now one of hundreds of Red Cross disaster workers providing safe shelter, meals and snacks, health and mental health support and relief items to those affected by the devastating wildfires in Spokane, Washington.

“It’s one Red Cross. Without being a volunteer first, I couldn’t have understood what it’s like to be on the ground and deploy. I use what I learned as a volunteer. I’m just trying to make them comfortable. Even if it’s just a hug or a laugh. Simple things like that make it more comfortable because it’s hard. I’m just grateful to be here to help out. We’re here for you.”

Two elderly members of Chebe’s group required a medical bed to help keep them elevated during their stay. While she was able to find housing for everyone after a two-night stay at the shelter, Chebe says the support provided to them by the Red Cross and people like Wanda was a blessing.

“She made it easier to be out of our homes and comfortable. It makes me feel good that we have somebody that caring. That’s what you need when you transition to a place like this. In a disaster, you don’t know where to start but when you meet good people like Wanda, it makes you feel comfortable. She has a big heart, she’s in the right job.”

Amid renewed alerts for potential evacuations, Chebe was back at the shelter a few days later – this time, however, just to embrace someone she now calls a lifelong friend.

“I came to see Miss Wanda. This is my girl. She can come back and visit me because without her I don’t know how we would’ve done it.”

The Red Cross continues to support relief efforts in Spokane and respond to multiple states to support the families and communities impacted by other massive fires burning across the West.

You can help support families depending on the Red Cross for assistance now by making a donation or signing up to volunteer at redcross.org

4th WCNY Volunteer Deploying to Washington for Wildfire Relief

American Red Cross volunteer Dominic DiGirolamo of Belmont will be deploying Saturday to Washington State to provide Disaster Mental Health services as part of the ongoing wildfire relief efforts. DiGirolamo becomes the fourth Western and Central New York Regional volunteer to deploy to assist in the wildfire response, joining John Craft of Penfield, Diana McLaughlin of Rochester and Donald Nelson, Jr. of Endwell.

The fires burning in the state of Washington are the largest in history, consuming about 600,000 acres so far. Red Cross workers have opened 12 shelters since the fires started, providing more than 750 overnight stays for evacuees. Many more people are visiting the shelters during the day for meals, to get information, or to charge mobile devices.

More than 100 Red Cross workers have provided more than 12,000 meals and snacks, including meals for U.S. military helping fight the fires. The Red Cross distributed hundreds of relief supplies and helped almost 400 people with health services such as replacing prescriptions and lost eyeglasses. Caseworkers are meeting with residents to provide assistance and access to other help.

The American Red Cross is also responding as Tropical Storm Erika heads for the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, reaching Florida by Monday with 50 mph winds and several inches of rain.

On the U.S. Virgin Islands, 56 people spent Wednesday night in several Red Cross supported shelters as Erika neared the region. Red Cross workers in Puerto Rico are ready to respond, with relief supplies set to be distributed where needed. Weather experts expect little change in the storm’s strength as it nears Florida. Parts of the state could see heavy rain, strong winds and high waves along the Atlantic Ocean. Strong winds extend out as much as 105 miles from the center of the storm. The Red Cross across Florida is getting ready to respond as needed, with workers standing by, shelter sites identified and relief supplies ready to distribute.

In the Pacific, Hurricane Ignacio could come close to Hawaii as early as Monday. The storm is already carrying winds as strong as 85 mph and is forecast to get stronger over the next few days. The Red Cross already has supplies on Hawaii because of earlier storms and is watching the situation closely, ready to respond as needed.

HOW YOU CAN HELP People can help by donating to 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. Donations to Disaster Relief will be used to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. We respond to nearly 70,000 other disasters every year, from home fires to hurricanes and more. Learn more about how Disaster Relief donations have helped people affected by previous disasters including home fires.

Volunteers Deploying to help in Flooding, Wildfire Relief Efforts

Two volunteers from the Western and Central New York Region are deploying this week to assist in American Red Cross relief efforts across the country.

Lorraine Morris of Bath, NY is deploying to Alaska Friday, where she will serve in Disaster Services Technology/Computer Operations in the response to recent wildfires. 

Herbert Wolfe of Rochester traveled to Louisiana Thursday to serve as Disaster Assessment Manager in the flood relief efforts. Wolfe will take teams into some of the hardest hit areas to assess the need and make sure relief is provided where it is needed most.

Lockport, NY's Diane Sargent in Oklahoma in May 2015

Across the country, relentless rain and raging wildfires have forced people from their homes, and the Red Cross is there providing support and comfort. Just this week alone, the Red Cross has helped people in 14 states affected by floods and wildfires.  Almost 250 people impacted by the flooding and fires spend Wednesday night in Red Cross shelters in Texas, Alaska, California, Arizona, Indiana and Idaho. Over the past few weeks, more than 2,790 trained Red Cross workers have served more than 590,000 meals and snacks, distributed 150,000 relief items and opened more than 85 shelters, providing 3,400 shelter stays.

HOW TO HELP A donation to Red Cross Disaster Relief can help provide food, water and shelter for someone who has to leave their home. Help people affected by disasters like floods, wildfires and other emergencies by making a gift to Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. To donate, people can visit www.redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

DOWNLOAD THE EMERGENCY APP The Red Cross “Emergency” app can help keep you and your loved ones safe by putting vital information in your hand for more than 35 different severe weather and emergency alerts, including flooding and wildfires. You can find it in smartphone app stores by searching for American Red Cross or going to redcross.org/apps.

Wildfire? There's an app for that!

There are media reports this morning regarding a swamp fire burning in Lewiston. Officials say there's no danger to people or buildings at this time, but what if that were not the case? Wildfires may not be everyday occurrences in WNY, but they can happen, and the Red Cross has an app for that (and other potential disasters, too)!

Our FREE Wildfire App--available in English and Spanish for use on both iPhone and Android platforms-- includes the “Blaze Tracker” trio of features, which can be customized for alerts specific to locations where they live, travel or have loved ones:

•        “Blaze Warnings” which let users see areas where NOAA has issued warnings that conditions are favorable for potential wildfires;
•          “Blaze Alerts” inform users when a wildfire has begun within 100 miles of any locations monitored; and
•          “Blaze Path” from Inciweb.org which provides users with a current view of an existing wildfire’s perimeter, how it has spread and the fire’s current location when available.

Additional features include:

•        One touch “I’m safe” messaging that allows users to broadcast reassurance to family and friends via social media outlets that they are out of harm’s way;
•          Locations of open Red Cross shelters;
•          Preloaded content that gives users instant access to critical action steps, even without mobile connectivity;
•          Toolkit with flashlight, strobe light and audible alarm; and
•          Badges users can earn through interactive quizzes and share on social networks.

The Wildfire App--along with the Tornado, Earthquake, Hurricane, and First Aid apps--can be found in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store for Android by searching for American Red Cross. Apps can help prepare people for disasters, but they are not a substitute for training. Red Cross First Aid and CPR/AED training empowers people to know how to respond to emergencies in case advanced medical help is delayed. People can go to redcross.org/takeaclass to find a course near them.

Good advice--from a bear!

In case you haven't stepped outside of the air conditioning lately, the hot and hazy days of Summer 2012 continue! The heat is on again in Buffalo today, and temps Tuesday predicted to reach over 90 degrees with high humidity. Since this isn't exactly the first time we've experienced these conditions this year, you're probably quite familiar with how to stay safe in the extreme heat-things like drinking lots of water (#H20B4UGO!), wearing lightweight, loose-fitting clothing and not leaving kids or pets in an enclosed vehicle.

A Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicle on the scene
of an area devastated by recent wild fires in Colorado

What you may not be aware of is how these hot, dry conditions increase the risk of wild fires. In fact, Governor Cuomo recently instituted a residential burn ban across New York State. Unfortunately, we've already seen an example of how quickly a small fire can spread in these conditions, as firefighters battled a brush fire in Derby over the weekend. As evidenced by recent events in Colorado and other western states, wild fires can be fast moving and have a devastating affect on those who live in the area.


While the American Red Cross has a lot of experience responding to wild fires, we here in Western New York don't see them all that often. So take a moment to review this wild fire safety checklist and review the Governor's burn ban letter referenced above for ways to help prevent a fire from spreading quickly. If, like me, you're old enough to remember Smokey the Bear, you know that "Only You can Prevent Forest Fires!"

There they go again!

We say it all the time, but we'll say it again today. Our volunteers are AWESOME!! Imagine willingly giving up two weeks of your life to travel to an area that's virtually underwater, just so you can help those whose lives have been turned upside down by the devastation. Well, two of our volunteers did just that today.

Susan Peek and Diane Sargent packed and ready to
fly to Florida to assist in Tropical Storm Debby relief efforts

Susan Peek and Diane Sargent boarded a plane for Tampa, Florida this morning to join more than 240 other trained Red Cross disaster workers helping people affected by Tropical Storm Debby. This is Susan's first deployment, but she couldn't have a better trainer. Diane has been on more than a dozen deployments and will help Susan  as they do disaster assessment throughout the affected communities. The Red Cross is currently supporting relief efforts by providing safe shelter, warm meals (more than 6,800 since June 24th!) and distributing relief supplies like flashlights, work gloves, rakes, shovels and tarps. Diane and Susan's work will help make sure those efforts are focused where they are needed most.


On the other side of the country, wildfires have forced thousands of people from their homes. More than 355 people spent Thursday night in nine red cross shelters across Colorado and Montana. Once again, Western New Yorkers are on the job as Beth Shook, who volunteers out of our Southwestern New York Chapter, is on the way to Colorado, where the Red Cross has served more than 36,000 meals and snacks and made over 3,800 health and mental health contacts since June 9th. It is possible that additional volunteers from the area could be deployed depending on how these situations progress.

Diane and Susan tell the media about what they expect
to see in do during their Florida deployment

Before leaving, Susan and Diane had the chance to talk to the media about why they're going and what they expect to see once they arrive in Florida. Our volunteers don't like to talk about themselves, but rather focus on who they're helping and how, even if it means doing a little Red Cross PR along the way. We can't thank them and all of our volunteers enough for their service, and we look forward to their safe return.

If you'd like to help out, please consider making a gift to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund by calling 1-800-REDCROSS, visiting www.redcross.org, or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Your neighbors in need thank you.