Red Cross Accepting Help From All Over For Tornado Cleanup
It's been exactly two weeks since tornadoes tore through central and western Massachusetts. Relief efforts are nowhere near done.
The Pioneer Valley and Central Massachusetts chapters of the American Red Cross, among others, have been going non-stop, with staff and volunteers on scene since day one. But demands on those agencies don't end. Other disasters, like Monday's massive fire in Fitchburg, stretch them thin. So, they're happy to accept help.
Mass.Gov: Tornado Recovery
"The Red Cross can't do it all alone, this job is just way too big," said Brenda Brouillette, the Red Cross' Deputy Director of Chapter Services.
WBZ-TV's Jim Armstrong reports.
Among the volunteers flocking to help are dozens of people who are part of the Southern Baptist Convention's Disaster Relief Network. They have traveled here largely at their own expense.
Many plan to be here until the end of June. They are coordinating with local officials and doing the dirty work.
Donate: The CBS Boston Cares Massachusetts Tornado Relief Fund
Two crews of workers were clearing brush and taking down dangerous trees in Brimfield Wednesday afternoon.
"We feel that if we can give back to other people who are in need, then that's what we should do," explained longtime volunteer Larry Wiedner.
Wiedner traveled here from his home in Pioneer, California after researching the extent of the damage on the internet.
"We do it because of the love of God," he said.
