Titusville (WBAP/KLIF News) – Almost three thousand people are waiting out Hurricane Matthew in Red Cross shelters along the East Coast from Florida into the Carolinas.
The Red Cross’ Dan Halyburton said volunteers at shelters just West of Cocoa Beach near Cape Canaveral will move into storm-ravaged areas once they’re declared safe by law enforcement. He said most residents are worried about what to expect when the storm is over.
“They wondering what kind of condition their home might be in or even if they have a home when they finally have an opportunity to return to it,” said Halyburton. He said it’s a relief to know that most residents heeded the warnings of local authorities and the Red Cross.
“Which is take the storm serious. Don’t ride it out if you’re in an area that is not deemed to be safe. So, people were coming to the shelter and they were very thoughtful about what kind of future their homes would have,” said Halyburton. He said he expects more people to seek shelter as the storm continues and that the organization is ready to help them.
They currently have 80 shelters set up across the Southern East Coast, with 46 in Florida alone. They’ve got 30 trailer loads of supplies and hundreds of volunteers ready to get to work. While they’re well prepared, Halyburton said they could always use more support.
“That’s an expensive operation and that’s why you hear us ask at these times ask for people to support the American Red Cross so we can not only provide for folks that are here but be aware that they’re going to be future disasters that we’re going to want to be available for,” said Halyburton.
You can make a donation at www.redcross.org.
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