By Stephen Appezzato
TINTON FALLS – Two disaster workers from the American Red Cross Central New Jersey Region deployed from Tinton Falls to provide aid in Texas in the wake of Hurricane Beryl.
On Tuesday, Lynn Paul and Chris Cummings, residents of Camden County, packed their Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV) with supplies and headed south for a two-week mission.
“We’ve been closely monitoring forecasts as we always do. We’ve had the opportunity to prepare for Beryl’s imminent landfall in Texas,” said Red Cross of Central Jersey executive director Kim Goetz.
“We were able to push resources and stage them into theater, as we like to say,” which includes workers, emergency response vehicles, sheltering supplies, water and food, in collaboration with other private and government emergency response partners, she said.
Hurricane Beryl made landfall on Texas’ Gulf Coast early Monday, killing at least eight people, knocking out power for more than 2 million and leaving widespread and severe flooding. After the initial strike, the storm weakened to a tropical depression and moved northeast.
When Cummings and Paul learned they were selected for the job they were enthusiastic.
“We put our name in, and (they) gave us 24 hours’ notice and we’re out the door,” Paul said. After the duo completes the two-day drive, they will report to a Red Cross headquarters in the region.
“They’re deploying people out there right now to find out what the needs are for the communities, and that will be assigned for our mission once we get there,” said Cummings.
Paul said she anticipates offering mainly food from the ERV.
“We’ll go up and down streets trying to distribute hot meals. In areas where we cannot get down the street, we park and we have a PA system. People will come to us and sometimes we’ll wind up in the parking lot of the shopping center. People can come in and just take meals with them,” she said.
The disaster relief mission is not Paul and Cummings’ first. The two Red Cross workers deployed to Texas in 2017 to provide aid following Hurricane Harvey.
Paul said she and Cummings have been deploying to disaster areas for 19 years. “We’re good friends,” she noted.
The Red Cross pre-staged numerous ERVs, relief supplies and meals in advance of the storm. As of Sunday, the American Red Cross reported that at least 135 people were seeking refuge in seven emergency shelters.
“As soon as it’s safe to do so, they (Paul and Cummings) will actually be driving through neighborhoods of impact,” Goetz explained. “Once the floodwaters recede and electrical wires and trees are cleared, they’ll be serving meals, water and providing relief supplies to families right in their driveway, which can be really a tremendous support and sign of love, honestly, because a lot of folks don’t stop cleaning out and they don’t know what to do and so it’s a wonderful opportunity for them to get resources they need.”
With many without power in the Texas heat, providing cooling and water is a priority for the organization.
“We’ll be paying close attention to the heat. Texas feels a lot like it does here in New Jersey today, and there are millions of people without power,” said Goetz.
While Paul and Cummings head south, Beryl is moving toward Arkansas and Missouri and is expected to reach the Northeast mid-week, according to AccuWeather reports. The two will join approximately 400 other Red Cross workers from around the county supporting Beryl relief, including eight others from the New Jersey Region, eight from the Greater New York Region and two from the Southeast Pennsylvania Region.
“It’s just what we do, and it makes us feel good,” Cummings said.
The article originally appeared in the July 11 – July 17, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
