By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Red Cross volunteers from our area are in Florida, helping with response to the devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Ian.
Executive Director JoAnn Woody with the American Red Cross of Greater Kansas City and Northwest Missouri says the Red Cross, overall, has around 2,000 volunteers in Florida as well as Puerto Rico with 19 from the Kansas City, Northwest Missouri chapter.
Woody says the volunteers in Florida face difficulties even getting to those who need help.
“Roads are blocked. Roads are inaccessible, because of continuing water or debris over the roads or even just the roads being damaged so that even response vehicles are having a hard time getting through,” Woody tells the KFEQ Hotline. “So, it’s a very challenging and a very heartbreaking situation down there.”
Woody says the Red Cross provides shelter, water, meals, even basic hygiene products to get storm victims through the initial impact of the disaster. She says just getting to the victims is the biggest obstacle for volunteers at present.
Woody says volunteers are faced with responding to one of the worst hurricanes in recent memory.
“Not just because of the hurricane making landfall,” Woody says. “That was tragic in itself. But, also because of the size of the damage area.”
The Red Cross had volunteers on the ground before Hurricane Ian hit southwest Florida, around the Ft. Meyers Area, and moved through the central part of the state onto South Carolina. Those volunteers won’t be leaving any time soon.
“With our Red Cross leadership teams, we are anticipating that Red Cross will have a presence in Florida for this response for months,” Woody says. “Our planning assumptions are for our teams to be prepared to have some sort of activity going on in those affected areas possibly through the holidays.”
Volunteers work in teams and those teams rotate in and out, according to Woody, so that volunteers can get breaks. She says, typically, a volunteer will work for two weeks before being relieved.
Woody says the best way to help is to donate money. You can go to the Red Cross website or call 1-800-RED-CROSS to make a donation.