St. Paul Fire Department honors Minnesotan who died while helping disaster response in Haiti
[St. Paul Fire Department]
The St. Paul Fire Department honored Disaster Relief Specialist Tresja Denysenko Wednesday as her body returns home to Minnesota after she died while helping with the disaster response in Haiti.
Denysenko died unexpectedly while helping in Haiti following the devastating earthquake. A transport plane arrived at the St. Paul airport Wednesday afternoon, and fire crews escorted her from Signature Air to the funeral home at the 1400 block of Arcade Street.
We are grateful to have been able to assist with providing honors as the body of Tresja Denysenko was returned home to Minnesota today. The disaster response expert died unexpectedly while helping in Haiti following the devastating earthquake. @USAID pic.twitter.com/7cD5x2svRx
— Saint Paul Fire Dept (@StPaulFireDept) August 26, 2021
A small procession followed Highway 52, Seventh Street, and then north on Arcade to the funeral home, the fire department said.
Denysenko was a disaster response expert for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and originally joined USAID in 2005.
During her career, she responded to several humanitarian emergencies, including the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the West Africa Ebola outbreak, the Venezuela regional crisis, and the conflicts in South Sudan and the Tigray region of Ethiopia.
USAID said Denysenko’s legacy will live on through the work of the many colleagues who learned from her.
Denysenko is originally from Minnesota and is survived by her husband, daughter, mother and stepfather, USAID noted.