Minnesota volunteers travel to Florida for Hurricane Helene relief efforts
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota volunteers are on the ground helping with relief efforts for Hurricane Helene, which has left behind widespread damage.
More than 100 people have died across six states, and homes and business from Florida all the way to Ohio are still without power.
Relief organizations are scrambling to meet the demand. The Twin Cities Salvation Army and Red Cross from Minnesota already have teams on the ground.
The local groups said they thought they were ready for Helene; Twin Cities Red Cross personnel were already prestaged near the Florida Gulf Coast. But then came the storm and devastation that spread through not just Florida, but Georgia and the Carolinas.
"We are there sheltering. That is our main priority right now, making sure everyone has a safe place to go, food to eat and they are getting the health and mental health support that they need," said Megan Steffer with the Red Cross.
"Across Florida and Georgia and across Tennessee we have eight instant management teams set up, so that scale should tell you something that is a huge event and since we are pulling people from our different territories to assist it's going to be a long haul, a lot of people who are impacted and devastated," said Dorothy Maples with the Twin Cities Salvation Army, moments before she boarded a plane to Florida.
In North Carolina, rescuers are still trying to get to trapped residents who are cut off by floodwaters and lack of cell phone service, which is complicating relief efforts.
"Right now we are focused on getting into communities when it is safe to do so, but in many communities those roads are still cut off. We don't have access to communities, we are still understanding the scope and the scale of this disaster," said Steffer.
Local disaster groups say this devastation is going to be around for quite some time. They expect to have volunteers on the ground helping victims well past the holidays.
To donate to the Salvation Army you can go to their website or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY. The Red Cross is also collecting donations to help local communities.