NORTHEAST WISCONSIN (WTAQ) – The Red Cross is forced to juggle its resources as Hurricane Irma heads toward Florida.
Northeast Wisconsin Chapter Executive Steve Hansen notes the Badger State is playing its part in both helping prepare for Irma and aiding Hurricane Harvey victims in Texas.
“We’ve sent 130 or so volunteers to both Hurricane Harvey and to Irma. The majority of them are in Texas right now, but we already have about 30 volunteers that have deployed for Florida.”
Even though Irma is currently in the Caribbean and isn’t expected to make landfall in Florida until this weekend, Hansen says Red Cross efforts are up and running, as residents start to leave their homes.
“Some of those folks have no place to go and therefore the Red Cross already does have shelters set up, and we are already housing people that have been evacuated.”
In addition to having the human resources ready, Hansen says the Red Cross has large warehouses in the Carolinas.
“We store disaster supplies and equipment. We’ll be pulling from those warehouses again once we’re prepared and ready to move in.”
Despite having to shift its focus in a new direction, Hansen says the Red Cross remains committed to helping Harvey victims throughout the recovery process.
“We’re still running a massive sheltering operation down there. There’s thousands of people that are still not able to get back in their homes, and likely won’t be able to get back in for weeks, potentially months to come.”
While Hansen says there are roughly 2,000 trained Red Cross disaster volunteers in Wisconsin, he notes many of them only handle local matters.
As a result, they are seeking new volunteers.
People can access the volunteer application form by clicking here.
The Red Cross is currently offering an accelerated training program, which involves a four hour orientation on the type of work that is done and the living conditions volunteers should expect.
Donations to the Red Cross can be made by clicking here.
