Issue VIII: Bearing Witness with Susan Malandrino, Humanitarian and Storyteller with the American Red Cross
On documenting tragedy and helping through sharing stories
Welcome to The Village! I’m Kate – an essayist and mother fascinated by the ways we create community in our lives, inspired by those who do it well, and convinced that thriving communities are what makes for a joyful world.
I first met my friend (and former editor!) Susan Malandrino in Japan, where we lived on an air base in the aftermath of disaster. Many of the senior military pilots and their spouses – and all of our Japanese friends – had survived the compounding catastrophes of earthquakes and tsunamis and the Fukushima nuclear meltdown in March 2011.
Our friends had flown humanitarian relief missions to the areas of Japan left devastated by the waves, dropping off crates of food and supplies. In our area further south, everyone remembered the fear and the uncertainty that came next, and those memories were met with preparation. I was particularly inspired by my Japanese language teacher, who served as the disaster response coordinator for his neighborhood, a volunteer position that often brought him to the base for seminars and emergency training. It would be his responsibility to organize neighborhood assistance if – when – the next earthquake struck. This preparedness, this willingness to face a disaster you know will strike again, always stayed with me.
When our families left Japan, Susan began storytelling work with the American Red Cross, where she serves as the communications manager for International and Service to the Armed Forces programs. In her role, she’s often traveled in the wake of tragedies, tasked with witnessing and documenting what she sees. I’ve been so often struck by her compassion in this impossible task, how hearing and helping with these people’s pain is an immense responsibility, and how she approaches every interview with a sincere belief in the power of stories – telling them, sharing them, hearing them – to help change lives. She was gracious enough to share more about her work below.
This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.
1. You’re often meeting people in the aftermath of a catastrophe, often the worst time of their lives. How does it help, to share what they’ve experienced?
Yes, I often see people in the worst times of their lives. They've lost loved ones, homes, livelihoods. They may be displaced or face incredible tragedy. Their world might be forever changed. Sometimes they may not even have the capacity to process what they've been through let alone determine the next steps.
So much of our role in public relations after disasters involves bearing witness. With that task comes great responsibility. First and foremost, as a humanitarian, I am entrusted to respect those we meet during their darkest hours. As such, a large part of my role also involves determining when sharing stories isn’t appropriate. Sometimes, sharing someone’s story just doesn’t feel right or ethical. Other times, when I’m out in the field, I do meet a lot of people who want to talk and want to share what they’ve been through. They see me with a notebook and camera and eagerly want to connect. For certain folks, this can be part of the healing process. Sharing their stories with the public, our donors and our community does help and does matter. It’s challenging and hard but really important.
As a communicator, my goal is to personalize these large-scale traumatic events. My primary task is to convey accurate information about how to stay safe and how people can help. Secondarily, I seek to find the personal and make it relatable. I think people can connect to a personal narrative far better than to a large abstract disaster. For example, I can tell you about a military base in New Mexico that hosted 50,000 refugees from Afghanistan. But what will resonate is the story of a six-year-old girl who gets a much-needed wheelchair at that site. I can tell you about the international armed conflict in Ukraine and that more than 14 million people have been displaced both in the country and throughout Europe. Instead, I’ll share the story of Ljudmila, a Ukrainian grandmother I met who loves Borscht and cooks at a refugee shelter in Hungary as a way to build community. These are stories that motivate. These are stories that inspire.
2. You’ve spoken before about how deeply personal it is, to sit and speak with people undergoing traumatic upheavals. What has this work taught you?
This work is so personal, intense, and hard. Disasters don’t stop. Humanitarian crises won’t go away. Climate-related disasters are increasing in both frequency and intensity. In a time of limited resources, this makes our work even more challenging.
My biggest takeaway is that people from near and far want to roll up their sleeves and help others. We see this in disasters big and small — from the recent wildfires in Maui to local home fires in communities across our own country. People help through financial donations or simply volunteering their time. In the wake of tragedy, people are incredibly generous and big-hearted.
The second lesson is that despite some of the most harrowing challenges imaginable, people have hope and are resilient. Earlier this year, I deployed to Türkiye for 30 days to respond to the devastating earthquakes that left more than 50,000 people dead and 3 million displaced. Despite the apocalyptic destruction and incredibly difficult circumstances, I met people who had hope. At a Red Crescent center for people who’ve experienced trauma, I met a young lady named Tildiz. It was her 18th birthday and she was so full of life and had this enormous smile. “Yes, this is hard but my family and I are the lucky ones. My brothers, sisters, and I survived. We will be okay,” she told me. That conversation really stuck with me.
3. It can feel hopeless, to see so much trauma and tragedy in the world and feel powerless to change it. What are some tangible ways people can help alleviate some of the sorrows and burdens of others in the aftermath of disaster?
This is such a great question. I often find myself doom scrolling late and night and thinking the same thing. Headlines and social feeds right now feel dark and heavy, particularly after big and often compounding disasters. But I try to focus on the people I meet, their stories, the work I do, and the ways people want to and are helping others. I think that one thing that the global Red Cross and Red Crescent network offers people is hope. It’s intrinsic to what we do. It makes my role as a communicator so much easier because I want to document, seek, and find the hope that we offer. I stick to that thread professionally and personally.
What can people do? So many things! My biggest piece of advice would just be to do something. It doesn't matter what it is. Take action that motivates and inspires you. That could be volunteering with us. It could be volunteering at your place of worship or in your local elections. Don’t overlook the power of doing something in your own community. This week I challenge you to block 30 minutes on your calendar and find a community issue or organization that matters to you. Send an email and sign up. You don’t need to do a lot but commit to something small, even if it's an hour a month. If you don’t have time to volunteer, consider a financial contribution if you're able. Often after a big disaster, people want to send goods; my advice would be that financial donations are better. They are more efficient and environmentally sustainable.
4. How should people prepare their own homes and neighborhoods for disaster before it strikes?
Depending on where you live, you may be prone to certain types of disaster. I’m on the East Coast of the U.S. and we get lots of hurricane-related weather. If you’re out West, you may need to prepare for wildfire season. While each situation is unique, here are a few key items you can do in advance.
1. Create an evacuation plan. Plan what to do in case you are separated from your family during an emergency and if you have to evacuate. Coordinate your plan with your child’s school, your work, and your community’s emergency plans. Plan multiple routes to local shelters, register family members with special medical needs as required, and make plans for pets. If you already have an emergency plan, update it and review with family members so everyone knows what to do if an emergency occurs.
2. Build an emergency kit with a gallon of water per person, per day, non-perishable food, a flashlight, battery-powered radio, first aid kit, medications, supplies for an infant and pets if applicable, a multi-purpose tool, personal hygiene items, copies of important papers, cell phone chargers, extra cash, blankets, maps of the area and emergency contact information. Because of the pandemic, include a mask for everyone in your household. If you already have a disaster kit, now is the time to make sure the food and water are still okay to consume and that copies of important documents are up to date.
3. Be informed. Find out how local officials will contact you during a disaster and how you will get important information, such as evacuation orders.
4. Download our Emergency app for instant access to full weather alerts, help preparing for emergency situations, and open Red Cross shelter locations. Choose whether you want to view the content in English or Spanish with an easy-to-find language selector. The Emergency app is accessible so that people with disabilities can use it and is compatible with Apple Watch and Android Wearable devices. Find all of the Red Cross apps in smartphone app stores by searching for the American Red Cross or going to redcross.org/apps.
5. Depending on where you live, consider flood insurance. Standard homeowners insurance doesn’t cover flooding. It’s important to have protection from the floods associated with hurricanes, tropical storms, heavy rains, and other conditions that impact the U.S. For more information on flood insurance, please visit the National Flood Insurance Program website at www.FloodSmart.gov.
5. And last - whose work inspires you?
Since my time in Türkiye, I’ve been thinking a lot about how the specific needs of women and girls should be factored into disaster response. It’s clear that in the aftermath of disaster, lack of adequate health resources, sanitation, and safety disproportionately affect women. Both Samantha Power at USAID and Melinda Gates are leading the way in global programs that support women. It’s so inspiring to see so much movement in the areas of gender empowerment, specifically in global development, health, and disaster recovery. They aren’t just promoting the idea of empowering women in underserved global communities, they are putting resources behind it and implementing robust programs. I also loved the work that actress Michelle Yeoh is doing with the U.N. Taking her voice as a celebrity to inspire those impacted by disaster makes my heart so happy.
Thank you so much, Susan, for your work. If you’d like to donate to Red Cross and Red Crescent disaster relief efforts around the world, visit: https://www.redcross.org/donate/international-services.html/ or hyperlinked here for their work following the earthquake in Morocco and the floods in Libya.