How you can help people in Florida from home

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - The local American Red Cross has already sent 14 volunteers and thousands of supplies to Florida, including blankets, cots and prepackaged foods. The volunteers are sheltering in place in Orlando, waiting to be sent where help is needed. They expect to have thousands of volunteers on the ground within the coming days.

For people at home, there are ways to help those who continue to suffer the impacts from Hurricane Ian, which has since become Tropical Storm Ian. The American Red Cross is urgently asking for individuals to donate blood.

James Jarvis, Executive Director of the American Red Cross of Eastern NC, said that they have already began sending hundreds of units of type O-negative blood to hospitals in Florida. After a natural disaster, such as Hurricane Ian, hospitals are known to become overwhelmed and overloaded with people needing help.

For those able, it is highly encouraged to find a nearby blood drive to help save a life.

Initial reports believe that Hurricane Ian may be one of the costliest storms to have ever hit Florida. Another way to help is by donating money, which can be done through the American Red Cross website.

Jarvis told me that when Hurricane Florence hit the state of North Carolina, about 60% of the donations through the American Red Cross were from people out of the state.

“If you can help please consider doing so, because the people in Florida are really going to need it,” said Jarvis.

“This should be a wake up call for you to make sure that you take those preparations to prepare yourself and your family for what you would do if you were in the crosshairs of this hurricane. There’s still a couple of months remaining of hurricane season and there are still storms out there that could impact us. Go to redcross.org/prepare to see how you can prepare your family to be ready when the next storm hits.” added Jarvis.

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