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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, August 16, 2013 | 12 Oakville Red Cross volunteers aid in Alberta flood recovery by John Bkila Oakville Beaver Staff As of the end of July, the Canadian Red Cross (CRC) had sent nearly 500 volunteers, including those from Oakville, to help in Alberta after massive flooding occurred in Calgary and surrounding towns in early summer. The watery onslaught, which displaced tens of thousands of residents and forced evacuation of the downtown core in Alberta's capital city, caused severe structural damage, injury and some deaths. It is anticipated the CRC recovery work in the affected areas will continue well over the next year, said Azima Vadsaria, CRC disaster management co-ordinator, who was recently in Calgary overseeing the recovery effort. Of the more than 400 volunteers, 306 were from out of province and there are currently 80 volunteers as- sisting with operations in Alberta, she noted. "Deployed volunteers can only stay for a maximum of 21 days, while redeployments can be granted as long as a volunteer has been back home for at least a month," Vadsaria said, so there is a constant flow of volunteers in the affected areas. The handful of Oakville volunteers dispatched to Calgary included Maria Elisa Cumpa, Chad Minter, Doug Oka, Deb Weston, and Andrew Little. "The mission statement of the Canadian Red Cross is to improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity in Canada and around the world and, firsthand, that's exactly what I experienced both in preparing for deployment and going down there as well," Little told the Oakville Beaver. Little is a CRC disaster management instructor, disaster management supervisor, and adult youth advisor Andrew Little is a Canadian Red Cross disaster management instructor who recently travelled to Alberta to aid in flood cleanup. | Submitted photo for Halton Region. This is his fourth year volunteering for the CRC, with the majority of his work being in a response capacity in Halton. The Oakville resident works as an air traffic controller when he's not volunteering his time. Little spent the majority of his 10-day deployment in July in the field supervising teams in Calgary and as a team member and supervisor in High River, a town approximately 40 kilometres south of Calgary. He also spent a day in Medicine Hat training volunteers to work in a distribution centre. "I met some amazing people in Alberta who were dealing with the devasta- tion that had befallen them and their determination and fortitude speaks very powerfully as to how the power of humanity can come together," Little said. "When we'd go out into the community and we saw other volunteers, neighbours helping neighbours, everyone doing whatever they could to help to rebuild the community... while the structures of the community were in many ways destroyed, specifically in High River, the sense of community and its framework was very much alive and well." When he was deployed, one of Little's first roles was to supervise in distribution centres where people would register Alberta government cash cards for initial immediate funds and go seeking to reconnect families separated by the floods. Little also handed out water, facemasks, and cleaning and hygiene kits. As well, he would go into affected communities as part of a team to conduct assessments to gradually let people back into their homes to see what they could recover and how the CRC could further assist them. According to Vadsaria, Red Cross Recovery Assistance has answered 2,784 calls for assistance, as of July 30, across Alberta. For Little, he said the entire experience was nothing short of inspiring. "It certainly encourages me to advocate for people looking for an opportunity to volunteer, even if it wasn't in disaster management, the Canadian Red Cross has other programs that operate within Halton, which also have a huge impact in the local community," he said. For information on volunteer opportunities at the Canadian Red Cross or to donate to the cause, visit www.redcross.ca or contact the Oakville branch at 1400 Cornwall Rd., Unit 15, by calling 905-845-5241. Don't miss these, and other great deals! Follow us: @wagjag facebook.com/wagjag Visit Proudly Canadian Buy Online: 53% off $59.00 UP TO 60% OFF WINDOW CLEANING FROM MAC-KLEAN WINDOWS (4 OPTIONS) Buy Online: 50% off $10.00 Buy Online: 50% off $15.00 50% OFF AUTHENTIC MEXICAN CUISINE AT MARIA BONITA (2 OPTIONS) $15 FOR $30 TOWARDS DINING AT KATZ BAR & EATERY 1 Brought to you by How to buy a WagJag: Go to www.wagjag.com 2 Click buy on the offer and follow the instructions. 3 Receive your deal, tell your friends and enjoy!