DES MOINES, Iowa — The death toll of Hurricane Helene has climbed into the hundreds. The storm battered parts of Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas. Now, the Red Cross is stepping up to help victims of the storm and has deployed 15 Iowans to impacted regions.

After disasters like Helene, the Red Cross says the first step is addressing the immediate needs of the people in the affected areas. Currently, the Red Cross has 69 shelters open in states impacted. The volunteers from Iowa will be helping man those shelters, providing food, water, and medical supplies to those in need.

“Oftentimes we will have people of various levels of disabilities come into the shelters needing medical support and we do deploy healthcare workers like nurses, P.A.s, and physicians who might be on a sabbatical or retired to help those kinds of medical needs,” said Emily Holley, Regional Communications Director of the Nebraska-Iowa Red Cross.

Holley said that in addition to physically lending a head, volunteers and mental health professionals are also available to help individuals impacted by the storm cope. Volunteers also help to assess community resources for individuals.

“We are here for those people who don’t have anywhere else to go,” Holley said. “Do they need a hot meal, do they need a place to sleep, do they need a place to charge their devices and get in touch with family, and we try to help them in what those next steps are.”

The Red Cross has also deployed 45 emergency response trucks that will house equipment for people to use for clean up efforts like rakes, tarps, and shovels.

If you would like to donate to help those affected by Hurricane Helene click here to be taken to the Red Cross donations page.

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