AUSTIN, Texas — As Hurricane Helene approaches the Florida Gulf Coast, thousands of American Red Cross volunteers from around the country have been deployed to assist in recover efforts.
Of the volunteers deployed, nine are from Central and South Texas.
Alice Smith, who is from Georgetown, spoke with KVUE Thursday afternoon from Florida.
“It is supposed to be a really bad hurricane, and [there are] going to be a lot of clients coming for assistance," Smith said. "Right now, what we are most concerned about is expected to be tornadoes."
Many of the volunteers are staging at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee.
Smith said after the storm hits, she and other volunteers will travel to areas with damage.
Also heading to Florida from Texas is volunteer Lucy Medina.
“It’s one person helping other. If I am able to help, I will give my time and alleviate some of their suffering," Medina said.
Delia Krippelz with the American Red Cross in Austin said volunteers like Medina and Smith have to be prepared for the long haul of recovery.
"They stay there as long as needed – two, three weeks ... could be a couple months," Krippelz said. "I know for Hurricane Ian, they were there for months."
Smith was one of the volunteers who assisted after Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida in 2022. Now she's gearing up for another hurricane.
"It’s amazing when we see them ... we can help them with simple things," Smith said.