The Executive Director of the Siouxland Chapter of the Red Cross says the problems caused by Hurricane Harvey have led to what she describes as the biggest nationwide call for volunteers in 15 years.
Tammy Lee says they will send at least two volunteers to Texas and have been calling everyone on their chapter volunteer list to see if they are available to head south. “We’re also getting ready and beginning to work with new volunteers and people who have expressed interest to be able to get them through our training quickly to be able to get them deployed,” Lee says.
Lee says in terms of wide spread devastation and people affected by what is now a tropical storm, Harvey is similar to Hurricane Katrina that hit New Orleans back in August of 2005. Lee says around 130-thousand storm refugees are needing to be fed and cared for daily and Sioux City will likely deploy its emergency response vehicle to the region soon.
She says it costs around $1,800 to send a volunteer to help with the recovery, along with helping people get back into their home. Lee says you can make a donation to the relief effort at RedCross.org, or by calling 1-800-Red Cross.
She says you can also make a donation or send a check to your local Red Cross office. You can also call the 800 number to check on family and friends within the hurricane zone.
(By Woody Gottburg, KSCJ, Sioux City)