DENVER — As communities along the Gulf Coast begin a long recovery from Hurricane Isaias, Coloradans are already on the ground helping those affected by the storm.
The American Red Cross of Colorado and Wyoming has deployed 16 volunteers to the Gulf Coast, where they're joining hundreds of Red Cross responders from across the country.
Among them are volunteers from Aurora and Silverthorne, who traveled to Florida before the hurricane made landfall.
The volunteers are helping staff shelters, distribute food, water and emergency supplies and assess damage in communities hit hardest by the storm.
"They're humanitarians at heart," said Brian Szabelski, regional communications manager for the Red Cross of Colorado and Wyoming. "They want to ease the suffering of people who are going through the worst days of their lives. Whether it's a house fire here in the Denver metro, or it's a hurricane or a flood thousands of miles away, they just want to help."
Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Destin, Florida, Friday night as a major hurricane, killing at least four people and leaving hundreds of thousands without power. While the storm has weakened, flooding, rain and wind continue to threaten areas farther inland.
"In the case of a hurricane, we know generally where it's going, and we have an idea of what the needs will be, so we can kind of pre-position some of those supplies," he said. "That makes the response so much quicker to reach people that really need it."
The Red Cross said about 485 volunteers from across the country have been deployed to support hurricane response efforts. Roughly 1,000 people spent Friday night in Red Cross shelters across Florida, Georgia and Alabama.
In addition to operating shelters, Red Cross teams are providing meals, emergency supplies, damage assessments, health services, mental health support and spiritual care.
For those who want to help from Colorado, the Red Cross says financial donations, volunteer service and blood donations are all needed.
People interested in volunteering can visit RedCross.org/volunteer. Those who would like to donate blood can make an appointment through RedCrossBlood.org.
Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.