Kelly Turner started volunteering with the Canadian Red Cross two and a half years ago after assisting in an online group to help the victims of a flood in North Dakota. Since then, she has been deployed to disasters across the country to help provide relief. In addition to a fire in Timmins, flooding in Thunder Bay, and the mall collapse in Elliott Lake, Kelly has been in volunteering in Calgary since June 25th to help respond to the damage caused by flooding. Since arriving there she was worked with the operations team in Mission (one of the hardest hit areas), at a call centre during early recovery efforts, and is now working as a recovery case worker in High River. Kelly is happy to be able to stay in Alberta to see the transition from relief into recovery and shares one of the more memorable moments in her time in High River:
In High River I met a stoic 6 year old child. Her mother said she had not spoken since all of her stuffed animals drowned in the flood. I took a bear off the red Cross table and approached her with the bear whispering in my ear. “This one?” I asked the bear. She looked at me strangely. I bent down to her level and said “Excuse me, are you 6?” She nodded. “This bear lost his family in the flood and he wants to know if he can live with you?” Her eyes filled with tears as she took him from my arms and hugged him. As I walked away she was telling him “I know exactly how you feel, I lost my family too.” It made me realize that every flood victim is a 6 year old child seeking the one thing that allows them comfort, no matter what that may be. I am grateful for the opportunity to have met this family. They did far more for me than I could ever have done for them!
More than 1,000 volunteers from across Canada have been mobilized to help respond to the flooding in Alberta. As Calgary prepares for winter, Red Cross volunteers are working around the clock to ensure residents have shelter and supplies to keep safe and warm. The Canadian Red Cross has partnered with the Province of Alberta to help provide furnaces, hot water tanks, and other essential items for heating for homeowners through the
Winter Emergency Heat Program.