September 1 was supposed to be a new and exciting day for Mahamed Ahmed and Isha Moerara. Isha was excited to start school, and Mahamed was starting a new job. They were settling into their new routine.

The day and their routine changed dramatically when Mahamed stopped home on an errand. He was greeted by fire hoses, police cars and flames shooting from their duplex.

“I came to pick up a letter, and there were fire trucks everywhere. I said, ‘what’s going on?’ The firefighters said, ‘You can’t go in, the house is burning.’”

Mahamed called his neighbors, the Adans. Mahamed Adan was shocked when he heard the news. “I was really confused about the fire. I was taking the kids to daycare and then my neighbor called and said, ‘there’s a fire, you need to come home.’”

Among the fire trucks and police cars, Red Cross Disaster Action Team (DAT) volunteers came to the two families, offering comfort and support. DAT Leader Judy Kuhlmann put her arms around Fatuma Adan and held her as she broke down.

“She was so nice,” remember Isha Moerara, her neighbor.

Moments later, the volunteers started guiding the families from shock to recovery. They provided shelter for the family of seven and formula for the babies. They made sure they had money for food until they could meet with a Red Cross caseworker the following day.

After a night of sleep, each family came in to see what the next step was. They asked questions, and each received a packet of resources with information to replace important documents and companies to contact for apartments.

In addition to information, Red Cross caseworkers gave them shelter and food, and clothing for the Adans. Their apartment was destroyed, their five children without clothes and shoes.

“We are missing a lot of things,” Mahamed Adan admits.

Their meetings done, each family left ready for the next step.

“I will call tonight and tomorrow,” Mahamed Ahmed says determinedly.

His neighbor agrees. “I will take care of everything,” the father of five comments. “The Red Cross helped us. They have helped our kids.”

The American Red Cross in Southeastern Wisconsin relies on donations of time and money so they can provide relief to victims of disasters and help people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies in Dodge, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Walworth and Waukesha counties. To donate your time, please visit our Volunteer page. Financial donations can be made online through our secure contribution site.You can also support the Red Cross online by becoming a fan on our facebook page and following us on Twitter.