CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The American Red Cross Central Appalachia Region is in need of volunteers to help with flood recovery efforts in eastern Kentucky.
“We know this will last for months, so we’re looking for people to help,” Regional CEO Erica Mani told MetroNews on Monday.
Last week’s flood destroyed hundreds of homes and killed at least 28 people.
Team members have been in Kentucky since the storm to provide impacted residents with critical services.
“They’re doing everything from helping with sheltering and feeding to assessing disaster damage,” Mani said.
Much of West Virginia was impacted by the June 2016 flood, a disaster that left 23 people dead. Mani said the state received a lot of support back then, so it was time to return the favor.
“When we saw what happened in neighboring Kentucky, we pivoted to make sure that we deployed the people that we could from right here to help because that is something that we received so much support with when we ourselves, right here in West Virginia, had this similar impact,” she said.
In addition to volunteers, the Red Cross also needs donors. Mani said there are a lot of options including financial donations.
“If you want to volunteer, we can get you trained and ready to go in approximately a week’s time,” Mani said.
To donate $10 to the disaster response, call 1-800-REDCROSS or text REDCROSS to 90999. To volunteer, visit redcross.org.