Ka webster
brings hope in the midst of disaster During a four-day period in late August 2017, Hurricane Harvey made landfall in eastern Texas and southern Louisiana, dumping more than 40 inches of rain. The resulting catastrophic floods inflicted tremendous damage — destroying hundreds of thousands of homes, prompting more than 17,000 rescues, and displacing more than 30,000 people. Shortly after the storm, Fargo’s Katie Webster received a call to deploy to Houston, Texas, to help with the recovery. With a sensitive spirit and strong work ethic, Webster was eager to help the people of Texas find hope in the midst of the devastation.
Webster is used to working behind the scenes to provide relief and hope to those in the middle of a crisis. As regional recovery manager for the American Red Cross, Webster and her team serve North Dakota, South Dakota, and 10 counties in northwest Minnesota, providing assistance to approximately 1.7 million people. Each year, the Red Cross responds to more than 70,000 disasters, including house or apartment fires, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hazardous materials spills, transportation accidents, explosions, and other natural and man-made disasters. Although the Red Cross is not a government-funded agency, it is mandated by congress to provide relief wherever it’s needed. The Red Cross deploys volunteers whenever a natural disaster strikes and they do a fantastic job of serving the people in need. Once the emergency provisions of shelter, food and health services have been met, the recovery arm of the Red Cross steps in to aid individuals and families, providing them with resources enabling them to resume their normal daily activities. In her role as regional recovery manager, Webster oversees administration and organization, providing support to help the volunteers do their job well. While in Texas, Webster worked 14 to 20 hours per day for three weeks addressing the needs of the residents who had lost literally everything. As Webster explains, “Because my position is behind the scenes, I don’t often get to meet the clients the Red Cross serves. This time I was directly involved with people affected by the hurricane and it was so rewarding to interact with them face-to-face.”