ACC staff member helps with Red Cross shelter efforts

While many people planned to stay indoors on Sept. 12 due to hurricane preparations, Austin Community College Student Life Assistant Dot Dearinger risked highly congested roadways and sacrificed personal comfort to volunteer with the Red Cross, helping displaced Texas coastal residents.

Dearinger, who works at the Rio Grande campus, took classes at ACC and participated in a work study with the office of Student Life in 2003. Now she's a part of the full-time staff in the same office.

Dearinger first started volunteering with the Red Cross during Hurricane Katrina. She picked up food and brought it to the Capital Area Food Bank to help serve Hurricane Katrina victims who were taking refuge in Austin.

At that time, Dearinger became a certified Red Cross volunteer. After a quick, on-the-spot training, she spent every night with the displaced families until they could return home.

"Some of our dearest friends now are from Hurricane Katrina," said Dearinger. "I know how important it is to be available, even if you can just talk to someone." She explained that volunteers like herself are there to comfort the victims and provide companionship, laughter and maybe a respite from childcare by playing with the children.

During Hurricane Katrina, Dearinger used her cell phone to call victims' relatives in other states, letting them know that their family members were safe. The relief she heard on the other end of the line was its own reward. "They didn't realize that people just care," she said.

Dearinger knows what it means to live through a hurricane. Many times she evacuated and returned to assess the damage when she lived in Galveston. After Hurricane Charlie, Dearinger had enough, and it was one of the main reasons she moved to Austin.

Extra hands are often needed. Hurricane victims need to be registered, school gyms need to be converted into temporary residences and services to victims need to be provided including taking care of medical needs and helping with babies.

With a background in human services, CPR training and suicide prevention classes under her belt, Dearinger is able to serve her community in a practical way.

Dearinger was not able to return Saturday to help at the shelters and by Sunday most residents had left them.

The Texas Department of Transportation has posted electronic signs along the highways that warn of gas shortages on roadways heading toward Beaumont and Houston. Area officials do not recommend anyone return to the area for awhile while recovery efforts continue.