SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Beryl is an anomaly. The storm is the earliest Category 4 and Category 5 hurricane on record. And once it hit land in the United States, Hurricane Beryl spawned the most prolific series of tropical tornadoes in U.S. history.
In the ArkLaTex alone there were more than 67 tornado warnings after Beryl came ashore on the coast of Texas and spun its way to the corner where the three states meet.
Cassie Walton is the North Louisiana Board of Director Chairman of the Red Cross, and she said that around 15 Red Crossers from Northern Louisiana are currently deployed to Texas to help with Hurricane Beryl relief efforts.
“Our Louisiana CEO is in Texas today. Our response is to get into the places most likely impacted. We deploy volunteers to the areas most in need first,” Walton said.
She became involved with the Red Cross after the organization helped her family during a series of Easter tornadoes years ago. Since that disaster, it has become Walton’s passion to give back to the community where she can.
Here in northwest Louisiana, the Red Cross has assessment teams on the ground assessing the damage caused by Hurricane Beryl. They’re working hard to meet the needs of people affected by the massive storm.
“We’re working with the Caddo and Bossier Offices of Emergency Preparedness, and we have not seen an immediate need for any mass residential shelters or anything like that,” said Walton. “These are more 1 on 1 specific needs. The phone calls that we’re getting are coming in from various sources right now and we are sending teams out to take care of those people.”
Walton said that right now, the Red Cross is paying close attention to the north DeSoto area, Benton, and Haughton.
“Benton and Haughton got hit pretty hard. We’ve seen one casualty, unfortunately. There’s lots and lots of trees down, power lines down. The need is to get the debris out so we can get power restored.”
It’s the middle of Louisiana summer, Walton points out.
“Temperatures are rising, so the sooner we can get power on the sooner everybody’s gonna be comfortable.
The Red Cross assesses the conditions in areas afflicted by the storm. Walton said they make decisions hour by hour to determine whether or not an area needs to open shelters.
If you’ve ever considered volunteering with the Red Cross, now’s a great time.
“Redcross.org is a fantastic website,” said Walton. “You can volunteer your time. There are multiple classes set up to learn CPR or how to become a shelter volunteer. We also take donations.”
And if you don’t want to give your time, the Red Cross would love your donation. We also have 1-800-RED-CROSS.
“I think we’re seeing more severity in our storms, and I think we’re seeing more frequency,” said Walton. “But I also think that we have a lot of knowledge and availability to see things that we didn’t see before. Between the news and social media yesterday, there was so much more awareness and the ability to be prepared. We want people to always have a plan in place, to be safe, to take care of their loved ones.”
Walton said Redcross.org is a fabulous resource. On their website, the organization gives examples of plans and kits to keep in place for emergency use.
She also hopes that everyone in Northern Louisiana can recognize what Red Cross does locally.
“I think that’s an oversight in our community. People want to give locally. But they don’t realize that we are local! We have immediate assistance, ready to go out. And there are so many great things that the Red Cross does locally.”
