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Local volunteers head to Florida to aid Hurricane Ian damage

Volunteers say they are ready to deliver food, blankets and water. They expect to help between 200 and 400 people.

HARRISBURG, Pa. — The American Red Cross Greater Pennsylvania region is sending more volunteers and supplies to help people affected by Hurricane Ian. 

Dareda Bennett from Columbia is one of two American Red Cross volunteers from the area driving to Florida to aid victims of Hurricane Ian. The drive is about 17 hours. 

“I was excited. I was like, ‘yes, I can help people out.’ So I was just happy just to go," said Bennett. 

Bennett has family in Jacksonville and Oakland, so Hurricane Ida hits close to home. 

"I felt anxious. My family, my first cousins, making sure they’re safe, making sure the kids are safe," said Bennett. 

She says everyone in her family is thankfully safe. 

“I told them, I'm on my way to make sure you all eat too. So that’s why I’m excited just to go," said Bennett. 

The organization says volunteers will be tasked with different roles.

“You can be deployed to support logistics and moving people and goods and making sure we have enough cots at a shelter. We can have folks there to do what we call damage assessment, that is traveling the community that has been affected to help the local officials," said Lisa Landis, from the American Red Cross Greater Pennsylvania region.

Volunteers say they are ready to deliver food, blankets and water. They expect to be able to help between 200 and 400 people.

“I’m prepared to see who can I help, who I can say to ‘here’s my arm, here, I’m here to hug you, need to cry, here’s my shoulder.’ That’s why I’m anxious to get down there, just to help somebody. That’s all I really want to do," said Bennett. 

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