B.C. Dodge & R. Mordant Mahon talk to IRUSA’s Abdullah Shawky about disaster response efforts in Louisiana and Houston in this episode of “What a Relief!” — IRUSA’s official podcast.
In this episode, Abdullah Shawky, Disaster Response Coordinator at IRUSA, takes us inside a disaster deployment.
He recently returned from trips to Louisiana and Houston to respond to the floods that devastated the regions. He shares some of the difficult sights he witnessed, including homes that were completely swept away by the floods. “It’s really tough to see because you think about what it took to build this home … and in a just a few short hours, it’s all gone,” he says.
His team partnered with the American Red Cross to conduct damage assessments on homes, and they even helped them pilot a new disaster assessment mobile app. He talks about the good, the bad and the ugly of flood response — from the inspiring stories of selfless volunteerism to the unexpected “vultures” that prey on relief victims.
Check out this episode to catch a behind the scenes glimpse at the IRUSA disaster response team. Find out what it’s really like to be on a deployment, what Abdullah means when he says, “We bring a totally different vibe,” and how you can get in on the action.
**And now you can reach out to us at our new email address: [email protected]!**
“What a Relief!” is the official podcast of Islamic Relief USA. Co-hosted by social media specialist B.C. Dodge & Mordant Mahon, IRUSA’s “What a Relief!” puts a human face on what’s going on in the world and how you can enact positive change in it. New episodes every week!
LISTEN. SHARE. REPEAT.