As families deal with the effects of Hurricane Helene and others gear up for more weather emergencies, St. Joseph residents can offer assistance in a few ways, even from hundreds of miles away. Angie Springs, spokesperson for the American Red Cross of Missouri, said Hurricane Helene has left a massive wake of destruction with about 500 miles of impacted areas.
“Places that haven't flooded for 100 years or weren't ever impacted by a disaster are seeing the devastation,” Springs said. In times of devastation, the Red Cross steps up immediately to provide supplies and a workforce of volunteers to help those in need. “We were able to stand up shelters, work with our partners to provide safe places for individuals that were evacuating their homes,” she said.
The Red Cross is helping with cleanup and recovery efforts, suppling meals to families and offering mental health support. So far, they have sent about a dozen volunteers from the Northwest Missouri and Greater Kansas City chapter, providing everything from rakes, shovels and buckets to even just a warm hug. She said Hurricane Helene is probably worse than what’s shown in the media.
Springs described isolated communities with washed away roads and families in need. While the Red Cross provides a helping hand to those in Florida and other surrounding communities, St. Joseph residents can provide a helping hand to the Red Cross by donating blood.
Because of the hurricane, many blood drives have been canceled, or people.