(Español) Volunteer Eugene helps families reconnect after Hurricane Dorian:
Uncertainty is the worst, says Eugene who feared his nephew
was dead as the family could not get in contact with him for three days. Now, he helps other families reconnect.
It took three days, before Eugene finally got in contact with his nephew. He had been at Abaco island as it borne the brunt of
Hurricane Dorian’s wrath, so the family feared the worst. “We did not know if he was dead or alive,” says Eugene.
Tele-connectivity and displacement challenges mean that many people still haven’t been able to get in touch with loved ones. And many were in need of relief items, shelter and psychosocial support.
So, Eugene went to the headquarter of Bahamas Red Cross and said “How can I help? Put me to work.” First, he helped pack relief packages but now helps people get connected to or get certainty of the state of loved ones as part of the Red Cross service Restoring Family Links.
“I know that weariness, tension and stress that comes with the uncertainty of the state of loved ones – whether they are alive or dead or at another location. You just want to know their state. Any news about that, whether it is good or bad is the beginning of recovery.”
“It could have been me” Eugene has carved as much time from his job as he could to be able to volunteer. It gives him comfort in the aftermath of the disaster knowing he is helping. And it eases the ‘guilty’ feeling of being spared when so many people have lost so much, including loved ones, he says. “It could have been us, so I am giving what I am still having and sacrificing what I can. If I can be my brother’s keeper or give a shoulder to someone who needs it, it might give them a head start to get back to normalcy. I had to step up and do something.”
Eugene finds the destruction of the hurricane and its aftermath “surreal” and something that was impossible to be prepared for “emotionally or mentally”. However, he will continue to volunteer as long as he can – or until he gets fired, he says laughing.
