Red Cross worker returns, shares stories from East Coast

MILWAUKEE -- Tears form in Barbara Behling's eyes as she recalls her final moments on the East Coast in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. The spokeswoman for the American Red Cross realized how lucky she was to be going home.

"That's what it hits you so hard, because you get to return to a sense of normal but you don't forget what you see and what you experienced," she said.

Behling remembers seeing miles of shoreline that had become urban swampland. She also recalls the frustration of struggling to reach people in need.

"What we were dealing with was 'take a left where the boat is sitting on top of the house," she said, "Then go what you think is a mile then take a right at the giant building that collapsed and has orange shutters."

Behling says the Red Cross, along with 114 workers who traveled from Wisconsin, were making progress when this week's Nor'easter stalled many crews. With the road to recovery now snowy and slick, Behling says the Red Cross is continuing its call for help.

"Just a $10 donation can provide a hot meal and blanket for someone staying in our shelters or that allows us to get it out in the communities," she said.

The Red Cross says there are still about 440,000 thousand people without power along the Eastern Seaboard. The organization has sent more than 300 vehicles to the affected areas, including trucks from Milwaukee and Green Bay.