Alicia Benton and Lisa Landry compare notes on their Canadian Red Cross deployment in Manitoba.
Having just returned from Manitoba, Lisa Landry had some sage advice for Alicia Benton when the two met at the Red Cross office in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia this week. Lisa recently returned from a 3-week volunteer deployment in Manitoba. Meanwhile, Alicia who works in disaster management at the Canadian Red Cross is leaving for the flood-ravaged province today.
Atlantic Canada has sent 25 volunteers so far to Western Canada in response to flooding and fires, with additional trained volunteers set to leave in the coming days and weeks.
Both women have six or more years of experience either as a volunteer or staff member, ranging from managing shelters to helping families get through the first few days after a house or apartment building fire, as well as responding to flooding, heat alerts and other local disasters. This is their first visit in Manitoba, and no doubt a memorable one.
Red Cross volunteers Sarah Jones (PEI), Wayne Thorpe (ON), Lisa Landry (NS) and Kevin Burke (ON) in front of the arena that served as a reception centre in Fairford First Nation, MB.
While in Manitoba, Lisa worked at a reception centre set up at the local arena in Fairford First Nation, along with other Red Cross volunteers. They worked closely with the band council to help residents who needed to leave their homes, and also checked in and provided assistance to the people who remained in the community despite the rising flood water. They also visited neighbouring communities around Lake St. Martin, about two and half hours north of Winnipeg.
Among the bits of advice Lisa shared with Alicia before her departure: “be flexible and keep an open mind.” That was true for Lisa, who found out she was going to Manitoba a few hours before she was supposed to board plane to go to Alberta. During disasters, plans can change in a hurry, so she took it in stride and flew out to Winnipeg instead.
