Hundreds of Red Cross volunteers hit ground in tornado devastated areas
Some volunteers have deployed from the Commonwealth
RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - Deadly storms continue to pummel much of the United States.
The South and Midwest are preparing for more severe weather just days after being hit with deadly tornadoes.
Forecasters predict thunderstorms, hail and possibly more tornadoes for these already hard-hit areas.
From hail falling in Dallas to powerful winds tearing through Tennessee, business owners like Russell Reed are in disbelief. His grocery store, a staple in this Tennessee community for 44 years, was leveled.
“Our daughter, when our store was being built, she learned to roller skate after the floor got hard and that kind of thing. Yeah, it seems unreal at times,” Reed said.
This past weekend, storms spawned tornadoes in 11 states, killing more than 30 people and leaving widespread damage.
Help is on the ground across those states, as many relief groups take care of immediate needs, including groups like the American Red Cross.
“This has been a significant outbreak of weather,” American Red Cross of Virginia’s spokesperson Jonathan McNamara said.
McNamara says 800 volunteers have been deployed to places devastated by this wave of tornadoes.
That’s on top of a dozen volunteers from the Commonwealth.
“These deployments are really tough for our staff. They’re usually 18-to-20-hour days. They’re in these emergency shelters providing relief supplies, going door to door, delivering clean-up kits, delivering health services, delivering hot meals and drinks. These are the types of responses our volunteers train year-round for,” McNamara said.
McNamara says volunteers can stay in one specific area for 14-21 days but can be moved around depending on the need.
“Volunteers are making sure they can either be the person that delivers that relief or be a shoulder that they can cry on. There are many different ways they can help,” McNamara said.
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