Toronto Volunteers Remember Hurricane Katrina
Posted August 29, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
But some put themselves in danger to get an even closer look and offer compassion and aid.
The first year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the worst natural disaster in American history, has led some Toronto residents to recall the horror of the days that followed. But others are choosing to reflect on the lessons learned and the spirit of those who came to the rescue.
Mary Ferguson was one of them. The local Red Cross member was among the first Canadians to rush down to New Orleans to try to find a way to help those left homeless and hopeless after the monster storm.
“It was kind of overwhelming,” she admits now. “It was so vast. It was hundreds and hundreds of miles. It had such a broad sweep and affected so many people.”
Ferguson was one of 238 volunteers who headed to the Big Easy as the scope of the disaster became clear. The Canadian Red Cross also raised $31 million and shipped 30,000 cots and blankets for hurricane victims.
The reactions from those displaced still burns bright.
“People were so appreciative,” she recalls. “‘You came here from Toronto to help us?’ And they couldn’t believe it. And I was like, ‘why wouldn’t I?'”
With the exception of Hurricane Hazel in 1954, Toronto has been spared the worst of the world’s woeful weather.
But critics point to that disaster, along with the great ice storm that hit Quebec in 1998 and the blackout of August 2003, to prove we still aren’t ready when emergencies hit.
But the Red Cross disagrees.
“We’re working to get prepared,” maintains Karen Charles. “The more volunteers that we have with some basic training, the better off every community will be.”
But everyone’s hoping those skills will never be needed.
