Behind the Scenes at the Desoto Red Cross Shelter

Written by Anita Foster, Regional Chief Communications Officer, American Red Cross: 



While most people have never set foot in a Red Cross shelter, the folks fleeing from Louisiana this past week because of Hurricane Isaac had a very good idea of what life is like behind the doors. Most were evacuees from Hurricane Katrina back in 2005 and after surviving on rooftops and swimming for their lives, they found themselves in mega-shelters like the Houston Astrodome or the Dallas Convention Center where they lived with thousands of others for months. 

While the images of Hurricane Katrina shelters are still fresh in most people's minds, the evacuees who came to DeSoto, Texas to seek refuge quickly discovered that they were in a comfortable location surrounded by volunteers who would make sure their needs were met.

Most shelters that the Red Cross sets up are reflective of the one you'll see in this video. So go behind the scenes with us to discover the many ways the Red Cross and the community come together to take care of others when they need us most.