Red Cross Volunteers Stage in Hawaii After Second Typhoon

When Super Typhoon Bavi slammed into Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands with 180 mph winds, Red Cross volunteers gathered at a Honolulu hotel ready to help people they already knew by name.

These same islands were hit just three months earlier by Super Typhoon Sinlaku. Many residents were still living in temporary shelters with makeshift roofs when Bavi arrived.

Deb Blaze, a volunteer from Fresno, California, responded to Sinlaku and is now heading back for the second time. "I know these people by name, and I hope to see them again, although I wish it were under better circumstances," she said.

Hundreds of volunteers spent more than 80 days helping after Sinlaku. Now they're mobilizing again to provide meals, shelter support, and disaster recovery supplies to Rota and Tinian, the hardest hit islands.

For Paul Chartier, this marks his first Pacific response after volunteering for a year and a half. He received advice to "lock arms with the people from Guam and Saipan," understanding that working with local communities makes relief efforts faster and more effective.

Five volunteers staged in Hawaii before departing: Deb Blaze, Rob Holder, Paul Chartier, Leroy Bersley, and Linda Scheuermann. The Red Cross Hawaii Chapter provided cultural awareness training to ensure volunteers from across the nation respond with sensitivity and care.

The Ripple Effect

Back-to-back disasters create dangerous cycles where communities can't fully recover before the next crisis hits. But the volunteers' commitment to return shows how disaster response builds lasting connections between helpers and survivors.

Local Red Cross chapters in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands are coordinating with volunteers from throughout the United States. Together, they're ensuring no one faces recovery alone, even after multiple devastating storms.

Linda Scheuermann from Pennsylvania summed up the mission perfectly: bringing together people with different skills and personalities to "serve our residents with compassion and care."

These volunteers prove that compassion doesn't fade after the first disaster—it grows stronger with every return.