O.C. Group Aids Victims of Floods
Eight members of the Orange County Red Cross have been sent to the Midwest to help in relief efforts for families affected by flooding and tornadoes.
The group, mostly volunteers, are assisting flood victims in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and West Virginia and tornado victims in Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee.
Volunteers’ duties include opening service centers to provide counseling for victims, assessing property damage, providing medical attention and transporting supplies to the affected regions, said Judy Iannaccone, spokeswoman for the local Red Cross chapter. The workers also are visiting homes in the stricken areas for those who cannot get to the centers.
“It is very possible that more people will be going because the real recovery starts after the flooding subsides,” Iannaccone said.
All of the local volunteers are members of the Disaster Services Human Resources System, a national team designed to respond to disasters. To join the team, a person must be a disaster volunteer at the local Red Cross chapter first, Iannaccone said.
The group is expected to stay in the disaster area two to three weeks, but some, depending on their personal schedules, might stay longer.
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