Ridgefielder assists CT Red Cross in tornado recovery efforts
When American Red Cross volunteer Thomas Kimball got the call to go to Kentucky after a series of tornadoes swept through the Midwest last week, all he was worried about was who s would take care of her cat, Cleo.
He wasn’t worried about not being home for Christmas, noting that his deployment had lasted two weeks. He also said that if the organization needed him to stay put in the New Year, he would not hesitate to do so.
The Red Cross has “great relief efforts” underway in four of the states affected by recent tornadoes: Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri and Arkansas. It strives to provide people with shelter, food and “emotional support and comfort after one of the most devastating tornado outbreaks in years”.
In Kentucky alone, the death toll rose to 74, the Associated Press reported. Destruction from weather systems has also cut heat, electricity and water as temperatures drop below freezing in some areas.
Kimball, of Ridgefield, has volunteered with the Connecticut chapter of the organization since 2016. He admits, however, that he should have joined in 2005 – the same year he got involved in ham radio.
Kimball is a member of the Amateur Radio Emergency Service and the Candlewood Amateur Radio Association in Danbury. In 2009, he began volunteering at the New York City Marathon to relay runner injuries to nearby mile captains.
Kimball’s current deployment to Kentucky marks his seventh with the American Red Cross. While deployed to disaster-affected areas, Kimball is working “behind the scenes” to provide communications support, he said.
As a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics’ mobile outreach vehicle, which partners with the Red Cross, Kimball ensures that social workers can help those in need without technological disruption.
Kimball completed two deployments to Baton Rouge, Louisiana earlier this fall after hurricane Ida devastated the region.
“While we were there, we (go) to shelters to (configure) Wi-Fi internet capabilities because it was all out,†he recalls. “We have installed computers, printers and laptops so that people (can) go out into the field at shelters and deal with clients’ cases.
“Sometimes ham radio is involved if other lines of communication fail,†he continued. “We’re a bit like a Geek Squad on wheels. “
Kimball works at the Red Cross Disaster Relief Operations headquarters at Kentucky Dam Village State Park in Gilbertville. Although he was only in the field for a week, he described seeing apartment complexes “leveled” and houses “completely destroyed”.
“When you are on deployment, you are at point zero of where the storms have gone,†he said. “These people are just trying to recover. They lost everything, they only have the shirts on their backs.
He added: “For my Christmas present, I just want to be able to do what I can to help people.”
Peter Yankowski contributed to this story.