“This will be the worst hurricane in America’s history, with catastrophic consequences,” the voice from the television announced.  At that moment I could not imagine the devastation that was coming.  This storm would change everything.

I wanted to be there, and I wanted to help… but how?  

I decided to join the American Red Cross and was trained in logistical support.  For the next two months I contributed to the American Red Cross efforts in Alabama then Florida. That is when my life changed.

I was speechless as I drove down streets where neighborhoods once stood, now just memories.  Even some of the debris had been taken away by the storm’s force.  There were houses on tops of cars and even appliances on top of houses.  It wasn’t until I witnessed it first hand that I felt helplessness overcome me.  To see it on television was one thing, but to physically be there brought a solemn chill over me.  My sense of reality will never be the same.

However, I wasn’t alone in my desire to help.  There were tens of thousands of volunteers, eager to help make life less difficult for those affected.  We had found a way to help those in need right here at home, and now I have found a way to help those in need around the world as a part of GHA.

- D. Robert Pickett