Editor’s note: Kevin Titus, business director for the Division of Allergy and Immunology at Cincinnati Children’s, has headed to Hattiesburg, Mississippi to help nearly 900 American Red Cross volunteers working to provide relief to the victims of Hurricane Isaac. He is working as the public affairs manager for the entire disaster operation in Mississippi.
Today, we loaded up more than 50 Red Cross emergency response vehicles to deliver hot meals and necessary recovery supplies directly to the affected areas. It really is heartwarming to see fellow volunteers from around the country working hard to deliver what people need the most to help them recover from this hurricane. We’re operating on minimal sleep, in far less than ideal conditions, encountering devastating conditions, and yet loving the fact that we are able to help.
Working with media partners to get the word out about Red Cross services has been great. The media in the area have been extremely helpful. It is situations like this that demonstrate the mutual cooperation and symbiotic relationship as we both need each other to do our jobs and inform the public. There isn’t much else in the news that trumps the disaster response in Mississippi.
I haven’t been able to leave the headquarters in Hattiesburg yet, but will be going to one of the harder hit areas on Monday. I think I’m still operating on an initial adrenaline rush. I’m too busy to think about how tired I should be.
Photo above: Kevin Titus conducts an interview with a television reporter on the Red Cross response to hurricane Isaac. Photo by Carmela Burke, American Red Cross.
