SAN ANTONIO — Hurricane Helene is now one of the deadliest storms in recent history. The death toll has surpassed 160 people and many more are missing.
The North Carolina State on Climate office is calling the disaster a near “worst-case scenario,” as the American Red Cross of South & Central Texas compares the damage to Hurricane Katrina.
"It’s over 100 square miles of land that we are talking about,” said Dr. Daniel Martinez, the Executive Director of the Red Cross San Antonio chapter. “So, it is one of the largest responses in Red Cross history. The vastness and the scope of need is overwhelming.”
Hurricane Helene left a path of destruction through Florida, the Carolinas, Tennessee and Georgia. Dr. Martinez says nearly 30 volunteers from South-Central Texas are now providing on-the-ground support to the impacted regions.
“With seven specifically from San Antonio,” he said. “They are opening shelters, providing meals to those who are impacted, and then helping with damage assessment and recovery. We have emergency response vehicles and some of our volunteers will go out and bring resources to people who sheltered in place without power.”
However, some of their greatest work is providing counseling and spiritual services, Dr. Martinez says.
More than 1,000 American Red Cross volunteers from across the country are helping with the relief effort, but Dr. Martinez says more support is urgently needed.
“There’s about 32 million people across 10 states that have been impacted,” he said. “It’s a lot, but we are there because that’s our mission and that’s what we do. We are going to provide that first sign of relief and that first sign of hope.”