Red Cross volunteer involved in large emergency-aid efforts
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Debbie Blair says listening is one of the most important things a person can do to help someone who has experienced a disaster.
She estimates she’s logged thousands of hours during the five years she has volunteered for the Canadian Red Cross.
“Giving somebody your time is one of the most valuable things that you can give somebody,” she says.
The 53-year-old, who describes herself as a people-person, says the ability to work with a team that helps others in distress, motivates her.
“That’s one of the first questions we ask is: ‘Are you safe?’” she says.
Blair is a member of the Red Cross emergency management team and is one of the first points of contact for people looking for help as they deal with a crisis. This includes the loss of a home to fire or during an evacuation, as was the case in December 2025 when residents of Cross Lake, in northern Manitoba, had to leave owing to a power outage.
“So many people think: ‘it won’t happen to me.’ And when it does, people are like, ‘Oh my God. It happened to me. What am I supposed to do?’” she says, adding everyone’s response is different.
Blair, who has multiple sclerosis, says she is not medically cleared to work, but can still volunteer.
She’s been involved in some of the largest emergency-aid efforts in Manitoba, including during last year’s wildfire season.
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The Red Cross 2025 annual report shows the organization provided aid to 5,000 community members evacuated owing to wildfires. It set up reception sites in Winnipeg, Brandon and Thompson and handed out more than 11,500 pieces of emergency gear such as cots, blankets, hygiene kits and air purifiers.
Blair says each person has different needs, but she stresses she will do whatever she can to help.
She books people into hotels as they deal with the loss of their home and assists with getting clothes and money for food.
“It’s just to let them know that we’re here to help,” says Blair.
She says the underlying issue when it comes to people who are experiencing a disaster, is that they need to be heard. It’s common for people to feel isolated.
“It’s just a matter of talking to them, finding out what happened,” she says.
Blair says she has listened as people cry on the phone, expressing their fears and uncertainty. However, she says it’s the strength she sees in others, even in trying times, that helps to keep her going.
“No two stories that we get are ever the same, everything’s different. But the strength that people have is just amazing,” she says.
Blair has been deployed to Thompson twice to help with mass evacuations and says when serving an entire community, as opposed to helping an individual, it’s about being a calming presence in a time of chaos.
“To be a calming force in a really unfamiliar situation makes things a lot easier for them and they can feel that off you as well,” she says, adding: “You might not be able to specifically solve their problem, but to be able to listen to their problem and let them know you’re there and hearing them, that’s so important.”
Blair says she has no plans to end her volunteering efforts at Red Cross and encourages others to get involved.
There are numerous roles that need to be filled and the organization is flexible.
“We’re always looking for volunteers,” she says. “So many people think, ‘I only have a day here or a few hours here or there.’ The Red Cross accepts that. You can totally volunteer even though your schedule is pretty limited.”
morgan.modjeski@freepress.mb.ca