ALLENTOWN, Pa. — First Helene, and now Milton. One after another hurricanes smashed into the Florida coast leaving people with destruction to clean up, some with no home to go back to.
For the second time in two weeks, a major hurricane is wreaking havoc on the South.
Volunteers from the American Red Cross in the Lehigh Valley continue to pitch in and help with recovery efforts in Florida supporting around 83,000 people taking refuge in the state's evacuation shelters.
"People are a little bit shell shocked, but they are doing their best to try to take care of their families, and [there’s] a tremendous outpouring of people helping others,” said Peter Brown, the executive director of the Red Cross Pennsylvania Rivers Chapter that covers the Lehigh Valley.
He made it back to Pennsylvania the day Milton hit, following a 2-week deployment to Florida, but some of his team is still there.
"It was really difficult thinking about all the people that I left behind, the Red Cross staff and volunteers that I had worked with, but really the people in those communities,” he said.
“We currently have six volunteers from our chapter who are either already in Florida or are en route from our greater Pennsylvania region. We have over 60 volunteers that are deployed,” Brown said.
The organization flew volunteers into the south ahead of Milton to prepare for the storm system. Those volunteers helped staff the evacuation shelters for people who could not leave the area. Those locations, set up by counties and the state, are now recovery shelters for residents who cannot return home.
"Our focus for the next several days is going to be on life support."Peter Brown, executive director, Red Cross Pennsylvania Rivers Chapter
"Our focus for the next several days is going to be on life support,” he said.
“It's going to be making sure that the people that are in the shelters have a safe, comfortable environment, that they're getting meals on a regular basis, and that we're starting to do very early stages of casework and understanding what their losses may be."
The Red Cross also has trained disaster relief workers, mental health counselors and health services personnel who are part of the effort to provide mental health services.
The American Red Cross of Greater Pennsylvania released a statement saying, "It will be several days before we have a full grasp of the impact this storm had on communities across Central Florida. We will continue to offer safe shelter, comfort and care to those who need it.
"As Floridians struggle with the new damage from Milton, the Red Cross is working tirelessly in the Carolinas, Georgia and Tennessee to provide shelter, food, water, relief supplies and comfort to those still coping with the unimaginable destruction left behind by Hurricane Helene."
A volunteer from Central PA who has been delivering meals in Del Rio, TN, told his Red Cross team that, “everything was wiped out about 100 to 200 feet on either side of the river. You wouldn’t even know there were houses along some parts of the river. There’s a lot of need here.”
Although the Red Cross has seen an increase in people stepping up to volunteer, Brown said more help is needed.
“If you're comfortable in a fast-paced environment, if you have a genuine desire to help people, and you're either retired or not currently working full time or have an employer that's willing to give you time off to go, and we do see local employers that are willing to do that, which is amazing, you can come and be a part of helping this area recover.”
People can help the Red Cross efforts in Florida and the surrounding southern states by volunteering their time, donating funds, or by giving blood, as many drives have been canceled due to the storms.
