TEXAS — The devastating floods in Central Texas that have taken more than 80 lives are weighing heavily on many throughout the United States and here in Western Washington. Through the chaos, volunteers with the American Red Cross are heading to the disaster zones to help those impacted, and as of Sunday evening, two from the Northwest Chapter are on the ground now.
“People want to help each other. Nobody wants to see anybody suffer through these events,” Monty Burich with the American Red Cross said.
Will McMahan from Everett has been a volunteer for over 20 years and has been on several deployments in recent years, including one to Texas to aid in flood recovery efforts in 2024.
“People working together and caring for one another and taking care of each other,” McMahan said.
He’s been keeping a close eye on what is going on in Central Texas. He says that while each deployment is different, he imagines volunteers down on the ground now will have long days ahead.
“Everybody, in my experience, on all the disasters I’ve been on, everybody works really hard,” he said.
With that said, McMahan believes in the work the American Red Cross and other volunteer organizations do. He says in the midst of disaster, the best of humanity can be on display.
“Our communities aren’t what they are because of our politicians and so forth, it’s because of the individuals that pitch in in all sorts of different ways all the time,” McMahan said.
The American Red Cross Northwest Chapter does have other trained volunteers on standby if more people are needed. He says they are also taking in more volunteers.
“There is actually an onboarding process, and then all of our volunteers and staff get rigorous training before they deploy, because again, there are inherent risks when you deploy, right?” Burich said.
If you would like to donate to the American Red Cross, click here. To volunteer, click here. The Salvation Army is also taking in donations to help those impacted. Click here to learn more.
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