CLEARWATER, Fla. — Longtime American Red Cross volunteer Frank Hall is scheduled to leave for Birmingham, Alabama on Tuesday morning to help with relief efforts in the wake of this weekend’s tornadoes.
“When you get deployed, you get a series of what they call ‘hardship codes,’” Hall explained. “That says, you know, ‘Transportation is a problem, lodging is a problem, you know — all these things are going to be a problem. Are you still willing to go?’”
This is the 45th time Hall has answered yes to that question. He started volunteering with the Red Cross in January 2011, the same month he retired.
“It’s typically 12-hour days, sometimes longer. Conditions — you’re going into the disaster areas every day. So, to me, it’s more emotionally devastating than it is physically,” he said.
Hall has responded to everything from the 2011 tornado in Joplin, Missouri that killed more than 150 people to this year's wildfires in California. He said in Birmingham, his job will be "sourcing" — buying food and supplies that will be delivered to shelters and neighborhoods affected by the tornadoes.
“We can go back to the shelter, to headquarters or to the hotel, but these people are having to deal with this. This is their life,” said Hall.
This is going to be his fifth deployment in six months, and Hall said it does take a toll.
“After two or three weeks of getting little sleep and working long days — I’m going to be 75 next month. So, no spring chicken. I say to myself, ‘That’s it. I’m not going to do one for awhile. You know — enough,’” Hall said. “But when these disasters happen and you see it on TV, something just inside of me just — and that’s what all Red Cross volunteers feel — it’s like, I’ve got to go help.”
To learn more about volunteering or how to make a financial donation, visit the American Red Cross website.
