Upstate Red Cross Responds to Devastating Florida Tornadoes

Central Florida residents and vacationers received a devastating blow to the start of February as tornadoes ripped through communities across the state, prompting Florida Gov. Charlie Crist to declare a state of emergency in Lake, Seminole, Sumter and Volusia counties.

Overnight, volunteers from the Upstate Red Cross sprang into action. "When we heard the news, we knew we had to help," stated Joe Hawkins, a seasoned disaster response volunteer whose most recent deployment was to Louisiana during Hurricane Katrina.

The Upstate Chapter has deployed four volunteers so far, some of whom left late last night for Daytona Beach one of the hardest hit, Valusia County cities in Central Florida. The deployed relief workers will be doing a variety of activities while on their two-week assignment. Some will deliver meals in the affected neighborhoods, others will comfort victims who find solice in Red Cross shelters, while others will comb weather-torn neighborhoods assessing the extent of damage.

"Red Cross volunteers are some of the Upstate's most selfless residents," states Red Cross spokesman Brian Scoles. "Our volunteers will leave their homes, families, and jobs in the middle of the night if need be. They leave knowing it will be two or three weeks, sometimes longer, before returning home."

The Upstate Chapter's mission is to care for the emergency, disaster-caused needs of residents throughout the Upstate, but they also care for the needs of friends and neighbors across the country.

If you would like to get involved with the American Red Cross, call the Upstate Chapter at (864) 271-8222 or by logging onto the Chapter's website at upstatescredcross.org to begin the process today.