KERHONKSON – Jose Santiago, who drives an ambulance for the Kerhonkson First Aid and Rescue team, has been busier than most people these past few weeks. Santiago is also a volunteer with the Red Cross Disaster Service, and so they sent him down to Houston right after Hurricane Harvey had drowned the city by the Texas coast. After Houston, he was sent to Florida, and very soon, he'll be on his way to help out with the devastation in Puerto Rico.

"There's certainly a sense of satisfaction to be able help those in need," said Santiago. "Today could be them, tomorrow could be me. I wish in this world everybody helped each other out on a daily basis, but I feel satisfied that I was able to address a mission with the American Red Cross and help those in need."

In this unusually active hurricane season, the Red Cross and its volunteers have been called on more and more often.

Jose explains that once arriving in Houston, they spent two weeks searching for "clients" and then getting them food and water and medical assistance, if needed.

"There was so much water damage," he said. "When you looked at the streets, everything that had been in the house was going out to the garbage. It was very warm and in those conditions, with everything soaked, the mold was in abundance. Everything there was just ruined."

So, where did the volunteers stay in this drowned cityscape? "It depended on where I was. Sometimes we would stay in staff shelters, and sometimes in hotel rooms. Some of the hotels had flooding on the ground floor. The staff shelters are empty building spaces, with cots. Some shelters in Houston right now are split with clients on one side and staff on the other."

Santiago's primary impression of Houston, as one might expect, was of water.

"A lot of water. There are still houses and vehicles that are under water. It didn't smell good at all, very dirty water."

But the job had to be done. "We were searching for clients and feeding the clients and whatever the case might be. Sheltering, assisting and making damage assessments."

"I had one case where I was able to help a lady in need of medical assistance. I didn't know she was diabetic, but I knew she was having a medical episode and she was out of insulin and we got her to the hospital and once we got her there she was taken care of. She didn't speak any English, but I was able to speak with her in Spanish, and they honored us for saving her life."

The American Red Cross did indeed award Santiago, and Maria, a woman who also assisted, with a Texas Longhorn Buckle, for saving the woman's life.

After that, there was a week off, and then it was time to head to Florida for the aftermath of Hurricane Irma.

"It wasn't nearly as bad as Houston. We were performing the same tasks, but Florida was back to about 75% of where it should be. Still, when it's really hot and humid and where there's flooding, there's going to be mold coming out of every crevice."

Santiago lives by a code. "There was a time I needed help, I needed that person to talk to, and I never found that. But I became that person for someone else." He has been volunteering for almost two years now.

"I am an EMS, I'm certified with CPR, and with the emergency Red Cross we go through training and on-line training with other colleagues. There's always more training and safety courses in various areas that we need to have. I've had a lot of good teachers to show me the ropes."

Locally, he noted, he responded to the Emerald Pond Estates fire in Ellenville, earlier this year. There were fourteen families from that fire that were cared for by the Red Cross.

And, as soon as his recovery period following Miami is over, Jose will be on his way again, this time to a very tough assignment, Puerto Rico, which was hammered hard two weeks ago by Hurricane Maria.