Volunteers Travel Thousands of Miles After Typhoon Sinlaku

When Scott Geibel retired in December, he wanted to find a meaningful way to keep serving. Just months later, the new Red Cross volunteer from Maryland answered the call to help after Super Typhoon Sinlaku devastated communities in the Northern Mariana Islands.

He's one of hundreds of volunteers who traveled thousands of miles to support families trying to rebuild. Scott works the overnight shift at a shelter, from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., making sure residents have what they need as they begin to recover.

"I just hope to be useful in any way I can," he said.

Jayne Dey made the same journey from Kansas, bringing decades of experience as a teacher, coach, and volunteer with the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline. She deliberately chooses roles that keep her close to the people she's serving.

"I don't want to be a supervisor," she said. "I want to be on the ground with my people."

What amazed her most wasn't the work itself but the people she met. Families who had just lost everything welcomed her like family, sharing meals and bringing her into their daily routines at the shelter.

"They've lost everything," she said. "And they're still the most kind, compassionate people."

The Ripple Effect

These volunteers aren't just providing disaster relief. They're creating moments of connection that restore faith in human kindness on both sides.

The families in Saipan showed Jayne what resilience looks like when it's wrapped in generosity. She checked on them, but they checked on her too, making space for a stranger in the middle of their own crisis.

When she leaves, it won't just be the work she remembers. It will be the people who taught her that losing everything doesn't mean losing your ability to care for others.

Meanwhile, volunteers from Washington State, across the mainland, and Red Cross headquarters continue arriving at Saipan International Airport. They're working alongside local governments and community partners, turning compassion into action one family at a time.

These long journeys prove that distance doesn't diminish our ability to show up for each other when it matters most.