AI-assisted summary

Pat O'Neil, a 30-year American Red Cross veteran, responded to Hurricane Katrina's devastation in 2005.

O'Neil's primary role was disaster assessment, evaluating the damage to homes in affected areas.

O'Neil witnessed the widespread destruction and makeshift shelters housing those displaced by the storm.

Pat O'Neil was returning to her Deerfield home after a weekend camping trip at Mount Rogers in Southwest Virginia on Aug. 29, 2005. Driving north on Interstate 81, she saw convoys of utility trucks heading the other direction, but had no clue why. She had been disconnected from much of the outside world for the weekend while enjoying the outdoors.

O'Neil worked for The American Red Cross, so her instincts told her something was wrong. As soon as she got home she ca

See Full Page