When a hurricane tears through a coastal community, a wildfire forces families from their homes, or a house fire leaves someone standing in the street with nothing but the clothes on their back, there is one organization Americans have learned to recognize.
The American Red Cross.
Its volunteers show up with blankets, food, shelter, medical assistance, and sometimes simply a sympathetic ear.
There is something reassuring about that familiar red cross on a white background. It represents help, compassion, and the knowledge that someone is willing to lend a hand when circumstances have become overwhelming.
But the story of the Red Cross begins long before modern disaster response, emergency management agencies, or government assistance programs.
It begins on a battlefield in northern Italy.
A battlefield and an idea that changed the world
On June 24, 1859, European armies fought a bloody battle near Solferino, Italy.
A Swiss businessman named Henry Dunant witnessed the aftermath. Tens of thousands of soldiers lay dead, dying, or wounded, and medical assistance was woefully inadequate.
Dunant helped organize assistance for the wounded, regardless of which army they belonged to.
The experience profoundly affected him.
He later published A Memory of Solferino, proposing two revolutionary ideas: countries should establish volunteer relief organizations before wars occurred, and wounded soldiers and those providing medical care should receive protection under international agreements.
Those ideas helped lead to the creation of the International Committee of the Red Cross in 1863 and the first Geneva Convention in 1864.
The red cross on a white background, reversing the colors of Switzerland's flag, became a recognized protective emblem for medical personnel and facilities.
The principle was extraordinary for its time: wounded human beings deserved assistance regardless of which side they fought for.
An American woman who refused to stand aside
Across the Atlantic, another humanitarian was developing similar convictions.
Her name was Clara Barton.
During the American Civil War, Barton became known for bringing desperately needed supplies and assistance to wounded soldiers, sometimes working dangerously close to the fighting.
Her determination earned her the nickname Angel of the Battlefield.
Following the war, Barton helped families locate missing soldiers and determine what had happened to their loved ones.
While traveling in Europe, she learned about the growing international Red Cross movement. She recognized that the United States needed something similar.
On May 21, 1881, at age 59, Barton and her associates established the American Red Cross.
The following year, the United States ratified the original Geneva Convention.
But Barton had an idea that would help define the American organization's future.
Why should an organization dedicated to relieving suffering limit itself to war?
Floods, hurricanes, fires, epidemics, and other disasters created enormous suffering during peacetime, too.
Under Barton's leadership, the American Red Cross began providing disaster relief. Her advocacy also helped persuade the international movement to formally embrace peacetime disaster work in 1884.
Johnstown, 1889: Putting compassion to work
On May 31, 1889, a dam failed above Johnstown, Pennsylvania, releasing a devastating wall of water into the communities below.
More than 2,200 people died.
Homes, businesses, bridges, and entire neighborhoods were destroyed.
Clara Barton arrived with approximately 50 volunteers on June 5. The newly established American Red Cross faced one of the greatest challenges of its early existence.
Its workers remained for five months.
They didn't simply distribute a few meals and leave.
The Red Cross established temporary accommodations in buildings known as Red Cross hotels, providing shelter, food, medical attention, laundry facilities, and other necessities. One of these structures contained 34 rooms, a kitchen, a dining hall, bathrooms, and running water.
Support arrived from across the United States and 18 foreign countries.
It was a practical demonstration of a principle that remains important today: disaster response doesn't end when the immediate danger passes.
People still need a place to sleep. They need clean water, food, sanitation, medicine, and help getting their lives back together.
From battlefield relief to an American institution
Over the following decades, the American Red Cross grew into an organization whose responsibilities extended far beyond its beginnings.
Its history includes assisting military personnel and their families during wartime, supporting communities affected by the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, and distributing government surplus food products to people suffering during the Dust Bowl.
In 1941, the organization began a national blood donor service to support the U.S. military. That work helped lay the groundwork for a major component of modern American medicine.
The Red Cross also became associated with first-aid instruction, water safety, nursing, disaster preparedness, and volunteer service.
Generations of Americans learned lifesaving skills through its programs.
Its role in American life became so familiar that many people eventually assumed it was a government agency.
It isn't.
Not the government, but an important partner
The American Red Cross is an independent nonprofit organization operating under a congressional charter.
Its first federal charter was granted in 1900, with a revised charter following in 1905.
That charter establishes important responsibilities, including humanitarian assistance to members of the armed forces and their families and disaster relief.
The organization works alongside local emergency managers, fire departments, public health agencies, FEMA, and many other organizations.
But it is not part of FEMA or a federal department.
Its work relies heavily on volunteers, charitable donations, and revenue associated with certain services. Special-purpose government support or contracts may also be involved in particular circumstances.
This distinction is important.
The Red Cross demonstrates that emergency preparedness and disaster recovery aren't exclusively government responsibilities.
They're community responsibilities, too.
The disaster you never hear about
When most people picture a Red Cross disaster response, they probably imagine rows of cots inside a shelter following a major hurricane.
But some of its most meaningful work takes place far from television cameras.
Imagine a family awakened by a smoke alarm at two o'clock in the morning.
They escape their burning home safely, but they have no shoes, no coats, no medicine, and nowhere to sleep.
For that family, it doesn't matter that the rest of the county is operating normally.
Their world has just fallen apart.
Red Cross disaster volunteers may help arrange temporary shelter, provide emergency necessities, offer financial assistance when appropriate, and connect the family with other recovery resources.
The American Red Cross also performs several other essential functions: supplying a substantial portion of the nation's blood, teaching lifesaving skills, assisting military families, and supporting international humanitarian operations.
According to the organization, approximately 90 percent of its workforce consists of volunteers.
That tells us something important.
The organization may be large, but much of its work still depends upon ordinary people deciding to help their neighbors.
The Red Cross here at home
New Mexico may not experience coastal hurricanes, but we certainly have our share of disasters.
Wildfires, flash floods, winter storms, prolonged power outages, and residential fires can all create situations where families need immediate assistance.
The American Red Cross Arizona and New Mexico Region supports communities throughout both states, providing disaster assistance, preparedness education, and opportunities for volunteer service.
And the organization doesn't need to wait for a presidential disaster declaration before helping someone whose home has burned down.
For communities like those in Valencia County, that matters.
A flooded neighborhood, a major fire, or a prolonged utility failure might affect only a relatively small number of families. But those families may need exactly the same basic support as people affected by a much larger disaster.
A disaster doesn't have to make national headlines to be devastating.
What the Red Cross cannot do for us
For all its history and accomplishments, the Red Cross cannot eliminate the need for personal preparedness.
It cannot guarantee that a shelter will be available in every community, that supplies will reach every household immediately, or that volunteers will be able to travel safely during a major disaster.
Large-scale emergencies can overwhelm even experienced relief organizations. Roads may be impassable, communications may fail, and the needs of affected populations may exceed the resources immediately available.
Nor is the organization beyond criticism. Like other large humanitarian institutions, it has faced questions over the years about disaster operations, spending, and accountability. Those are legitimate subjects for scrutiny, and public trust depends on transparency and results.
But recognizing those limitations doesn't diminish the contributions of generations of volunteers.
It reinforces a lesson we emphasize throughout Everyday Ready.
Outside assistance is important. Personal and community preparedness are important, too. Neither replaces the other.
A household with several days of water, food, medication, lighting, and other essentials is better positioned to endure an interruption while relief resources are being organized.
Neighbors who know one another, understand who may require assistance, and possess basic first-aid and emergency skills can begin helping long before outside organizations arrive.
And when outside assistance does arrive, a community that has prepared itself is in a better position to work alongside those responders.
What this teaches us today
More than 160 years ago, Henry Dunant looked across a battlefield and recognized that suffering demanded a response.
A few decades later, Clara Barton recognized that the same principle applied to Americans caught in fires, floods, hurricanes, and other disasters.
Neither believed people should simply wait for someone else to solve the problem.
Both helped create organizations that encouraged people to prepare, organize, learn useful skills, and step forward when help was needed.
Their legacy offers several lessons.
- Learn a useful skill. First aid, CPR, basic emergency care, and disaster response skills can make an immediate difference.
- Prepare your own household. Keep essential supplies, develop a communications plan, and consider what you would need if normal services disappeared.
- Know your neighbors. A small network of people willing to check on one another can be invaluable.
- Consider volunteering. Organizations like the Red Cross offer opportunities to contribute without needing to be a firefighter, police officer, or medical professional.
- Remember that recovery takes time. Food, clean water, sanitation, shelter, and emotional support remain important long after the immediate emergency ends.
The people behind the cross
There is no shortage of organizations with impressive names, elaborate plans, and carefully written mission statements.
But ultimately, the success of any emergency response depends on people.
People who load trucks.
People who prepare meals.
People who donate blood.
People who distribute blankets, organize shelters, teach first aid, answer telephones, and sit beside frightened families who have lost nearly everything.
Sometimes the most valuable contribution is not technical expertise or expensive equipment.
Sometimes it's simply being there.
The American Red Cross has survived wars, economic depressions, disasters, social changes, and more than a century of challenges because its fundamental purpose remains relevant.
When people are suffering, somebody needs to help.
And for generations, ordinary Americans have answered that call.
That's a lesson worth remembering — and a tradition worth continuing.
Learn more and get involved
The American Red Cross provides disaster preparedness information, volunteer opportunities, blood donation information, and first-aid training. Readers in Central New Mexico can also explore the Arizona and New Mexico Region.
Historical research for this article draws primarily from the American Red Cross historical archives and the International Committee of the Red Cross.