Local Resident Volunteering to Help Southern Tornado Victims

As severe storms spawned tornadoes damaging homes, schools and businesses in the Midwest over the weekend, a team of Westchester volunteers continued their work in helping the victims of violent storms that occurred not a month earlier in Alabama.

Carolyn Sherwin of Bedford Hills is one local member of the American Red Cross, Westchester chapter, who was deployed to Tuscaloosa, AL, last week.

"The damage is jaw-dropping," she said in a phone interview with Patch. "You could be driving down a main road here, and see a big mall in perfect condition that is business as usual on the left—and on the right, homes are razed or in a pile of rubble."

Sherwin is a public affairs volunteer for the relief organization, which has opened more than 200 shelters and provided 18,000 overnight stays since March 31 to help victims of the spate of weather-related disasters.

Sherwin said her role has been to coordinate information about resources available to families and ensure supplies are getting to communities. She is also sitting down with locals and collecting their stories to compile a narrative of the devastation that has happened.

"I can't say enough about the strength of the residents down here," said Sherwin. "It will be a slow recovery but already there has been progress made. Everyone is rallying around their friends and they are so stoic."

She met one local man who was already down on his luck when the storms hit. His finances were a mess, and his health insurance had run out. His son-in-law died in the tornado. He had part-ownership in a store, which became a drop-off site for donated supplies.

"That man ended up sharing them with his friends and neighbors. That's just the way people are here," said Sherwin.

She also reported the story of an 18-year-old girl who was planning on going to the prom when the tornadoes struck. She lost her house—and her prom dress. But she and her classmates benefited from a stash of donated tuxes and dresses and were able to enjoy an evening of fun amid the unimaginable destruction all around them.

On another day, Sherwin hosted a group of boy scouts from Huntsville, AL, at the warehouse that serves as Red Cross headquarters. "One young boy who had friends and neighbors lose their homes said to me, 'I can't believe all these people would come here to help us,' she said. "They earned their emergency services badges that day."

Sherwin wraps up her volunteer tour next week and will return to her volunteer work with the Westchester Red Cross, and to her reporting job at the Bedford Record Review. In the past 13 years, she has helped victims of disasters large and small, from Hurricane Katrina to local house fires in Katonah.

With all of the heartbreak and horror she's witnessed, she said she remains committed to the work.

"You just have to breathe in and breathe out. It can be tiring, but every day is different. The people in this organization just do what they are asked to do," she said.

Abigail Adams, director of communications at American Red Cross in Westchester, said Sherwin underplays her role.

"She is an incredibly important resource. She has distributed vital information to families in Alabama, from where the washing machines are to job fairs for those in need," said Adams. "Plus she puts her whole heart into her work. She's an extraordinary person."

If you want to make a donation to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief, which enables the Red Cross to prepare for and provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance in response to disasters, visit redcross.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767). Contributions may also be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013.