Tennessee Floods: Red Cross Opens Doors
714 views · Published 24 May 2010 · 1:39 · Indexed 12 November 2026
Channel: American Red Cross · 2010 · Entertainment
Memphis, TN, May 23, 2010 - One of the thousands of calls that came into the American Red Cross 1-866-GET-INFO line after this months floods came from a Gibson County man whose house had been damaged. Red Cross caseworkers called the phone number repeatedly, but no one answered. Three caseworkers decided to go to the address to check on the man. Red Cross caseworkers Fern Chan, Jessica Ellner from the Greater New York Chapter and Misty Youngson from the Northwestern Michigan Chapter knocked on the door of and announced that they were from the Red Cross. A man's voice called out and asked the caseworkers to call his landlord to unlock the door. He said: "I'm on the floor and I can't get up." Neighbors came to help lift the man back into his motorized wheelchair. The man, who has Multiple Sclerosis, was not able to reach his phone to call for help but knew that the Red Cross would be coming to assess the floods damage to his home. Unable to get up, he had been on the floor for at least 24 hours. Neighbors had come to his home several times, but he was too proud and frightened to let them in. But when the Red Cross workers arrived, he knew he could trust them. "God brought you to my door and you saved me", he stated. The gentleman doesn't wish to be identified. The landlord said that Red Cross had been in the neighborhood a few days earlier and had delivered a cleanup kit and delivered food to the residents in the neighborhood. Whenever a caller dials 1-866-GET-INFO, they talk with a live person who asks a series of questions about where the caller lives and what kind of assistance is needed. Operators relay the information to the appropriate Red Cross chapter that is closest to the callers location. Fern, Jessie and Misty gave the man a Moving Forward After a Disaster booklet and helped him list appointments that he should set to aid in his recovery. When they asked him if there was anything else that they can do for him, he smiled and replied, "Thank you, you done more than enough. You saved my life."
