By: Judith Weeks

What is it like to respond to an apartment building fire now that we are in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and practicing social distancing? When life as we knew it started to change in March, the Montgomery County Disaster Action Team quickly began preparing for the new reality of virtual disaster responses instead of in-person responses. 

Cathie Wright, a Disaster Action Team member, explained that initially, a lot of information was coming in, and it was changing frequently.  She proudly said, “In Montgomery County we are a tight knit group. We all got together and said okay, how are we going to do this?” 

The team rose to the challenge when an apartment building in Lansdale caught fire on Monday evening, April 27. Cathie was a newly appointed Duty Officer, tasked with coordinating the team’s response, and this was her first night on-call. 

Families and individuals were waiting in the street, fearful of what was happening to their apartment. Eleven apartments were damaged or destroyed. Cathie knew she would need help. She called Debbie Tevlin, the Duty Officer for the next shift, and together they made a plan to assemble a team for a virtual response.   

The Montgomery County disaster team jumped into action and worked in synchrony. A police officer on site collected names, phone numbers, and apartment numbers for Cathie. Jane Cabnet started opening cases from home.  Debbie and Cathie began making calls, using Facetime whenever possible to get as close as possible to an in-person conversation. Finally, at 2:00 a.m., Cathie helped some of those displaced make hotel arrangements.  She called Heidi Dampman to run cards for financial assistance by the scene.     

Over the next two days, Larry Daly and Griff Schrack volunteered as well, delivering more assistance as people returned to the scene and contacted the Red Cross needing help. Using social distancing, a folder with the recovery information was placed on the hood of the Red Cross vehicle. This allowed six feet or more for social distancing. They all wore protective face masks.  

In all, the team provided assistance for 19 adults and 7 children. Asked about her experience, Cathie said “I need to keep my team safe, the entire team watches out for each other, but that doesn’t stop us from doing the mission of the Red Cross.”  

She added, “Is it perfect? No! Does it work? Yes!  I could not have done this without my team.”  

Red Cross services may look different but be assured that the volunteers, using technology and ingenuity, are providing immediate relief for those who have experienced a disaster on top of the added stress of losing their home during this most uncertain time in their lives.