By Beth Barhydt
As hurricanes Helene and Milton swept through the southeastern United States, leaving devastation in their wake, the American Red Cross once again sprang into action. Among the leaders working on the massive relief effort was Stephanie Dunn Ashley, Chief Executive Officer of the American Red Cross Metro New York North Chapter, our local chapter.
While stationed in Connecticut, Ashley has been working remotely, using technology to connect with teams on the ground and coordinating reunification efforts, a process she describes as emotionally draining but ultimately rewarding.
“I’m still work ing with the North Carolina team,” Ashley shared in a recent interview, “doing reunification work, and that’s probably going to continue for another week. We have over 9,000 cases.” Each case represents a person or family displaced by the storms, individuals whose loved ones have lost contact with them, unsure if they are safe or even alive.
This reunification process, as Ashley explains, involves detective work, much of it done from behind a computer screen. “If you had a sister that lived in North Carolina and you couldn’t get in touch with her, you could call the Red Cross or go online and fill out a reunification form. Then, that case goes into our queue,” she says. From there, volunteers like Ashley reach out to the individuals who reported the missing person, gathering as much information as possible to start the search.
The scope of the Red Cross’s efforts is staggering. “We’ll take as much information as we can,” she explains. “We have links for law enforcement, hospitals, and our own shelter registries. We even go on Zillow or MapQuest to look at the area. It’s like detective work—figuring out if someone might be in a hospital, shelter, or elsewhere. We exhaust every effort before sending the case to our ground crew.”
Ashley’s dedication to the cause has been evident throughout her career, with over twenty years of service in the nonprofit sector in Greenwich. But, as she acknowledges, the emotional toll of her current work is significant. “The first couple of days, I was like, ‘Wow, this is heavy stuff,’” she says. One of her first successes came when the ground crew located a grandmother and her five-year-old grandchild who had survived the hurricane with nothing but the clothes on their backs and water from a nearby spring. “You feel like, ‘Wow, I’ve really done something really meaningful.’”
However, not every case resolves so neatly. Ashley notes that some cases can take days or even weeks to conclude, with volunteers calling, emailing, and texting repeatedly to ensure no stone is left unturned. “Sometimes you’re lucky and find someone on the first call,” she says, “but most cases require several rounds of outreach.”
In addition to reunification, the Red Cross has also been managing shelters for those displaced by the storms. “The night Milton hit, there were almost 84,000 people in Red Cross shelters,” Ashley recalls. “We set up places with food, beds, showers—the whole nine yards. It’s 24/7 until the last person leaves.”
Managing such large-scale operations is an enormous logistical challenge. “Every day, the cost of operations adds up,” Ashley explains. “Just deploying people in advance of the hurricane can cost a million dollars. You can’t deploy after a hurricane; it’s already too late. So you have to be there beforehand, ready with trucks, cots, and everything else. For something like the disaster in North Carolina, the Red Cross will spend billions in relief efforts.”
The Red Cross works in tandem with local emergency management teams to establish these shelters in secure locations. In Connecticut, for example, the Red Cross coordinates closely with local officials to ensure evacuation sites are prepped well in advance. “We work with the Office of Emergency Management in Greenwich to ensure everything is set,” says Ashley, “and we revise plans every year.”
The Red Cross’s operations extend far beyond shelters. They are also responsible for providing emergency supplies, mental health services, and even care for pets. “We take in pets too,” Ashley notes, emphasizing the holistic approach the organization takes in disaster response.
One of the most challenging aspects of disaster relief is navigating the psychological and emotional toll that such devastation has on survivors and responders alike. “Some people have lost everything,” Ashley says. “When the only thing they have left are the clothes on their backs, the emotional toll is massive.”
Ashley stresses the importance of individual preparedness. “People need to think about their own preparedness,” she urges. “We’ve had hurricanes here—Ida, Sandy, Irene. People need to ask themselves, ‘What would happen if this happened here?’”
Ashley’s message is clear: preparation and community are key. “Check on your neighbors,” she advises. “If you have an elderly neighbor, even if they’re not related to you, just be kind and look after them. It’s the little things that make a difference.”
The Red Cross also faces practical challenges, such as maintaining blood supplies in the wake of disasters. “Many blood drives and collections were canceled because of the hurricanes,” Ashley explains. “That has put a big damper on our blood supply.” However, she’s optimistic about the recent expansion of the local blood center In Greenwich, which now operates four days a week and collects not only whole blood but also platelets.
Despite the enormity of the challenges she faces, Ashley remains deeply committed to her work. “I love what I do,” she says. “When you wake up and think, ‘I’m doing good things today,’ it makes it all worth it.”
As the Red Cross continues its relief efforts in the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, Ashley emphasizes, the work is far from over. “It’s still hurricane season,” she reminds us. “It’s not over yet.”
