The tornadoes that hit Tallahassee and many other places so far this month have stretched emergency response agencies to the limit. That included the Capital Area Chapter of the American Red Cross.
The triple twisters that struck Tallahassee and Leon County on May 10th took everyone by surprise. And Regional Red Cross Director Sharon Carraway said the suddenness and extent of the disaster forced the agency to do something that had never been done before.
"Friday night, we ended up being a shelter; the first time in our history we've ever actually sheltered the community inside our chapter building. With the emergency and power out across Tallahassee and Leon County, we did what we had to do."
Carraway said the number of displaced storm victims sheltering at the Red Cross headquarters on Easterwood Drive has been hovering around 250. The first wave was mostly people who had lost power. Those whose homes are too damaged to reoccupy make up the current shelter guests. All that has placed a lot of stress on the organization, especially when it comes to staffing.
"We've seen an increase on our local volunteers, because COVID really did a number on our volunteer population. So we're really trying to encourage people to join and partner with us in the community."
Carraway said the need is especially critical since hurricane season is right around the corner. But she's quick to point out that Tallahassee isn't the only place that's seen some terrible weather lately.
"For the last month, there's just constant disasters popping up all over the country. The tornadoes yesterday in Idaho and all across the Midwest. And the storms seem to be more powerful as they come. So our resources across the country are stretched thin."
When one part of the country has a disaster, Red Cross chapters elsewhere help out. But when so many places are hit at the same time, Carraway said everybody needs more resources. And not just more volunteers.
"We are not a federally funded agency. We operate on the generosity of the donated dollar. And it's individuals that give to support our mission, it's corporations, it's businesses and foundations. It's literally just the American people supporting their neighbor. So we encourage people to help us."
https://www.redcross.org/local/florida/north-florida/about-us/locations/capital-area.html
