LAUREL CO., Ky. (LEX 18) — Volunteers from around the country are on the ground in Laurel County working with the American Red Cross to help tornado victims. One of them is Pete Danforth from Arlington, VA.
Danforth felt his calling to join the Red Cross after a retired coworker volunteered to help after a hurricane hit Texas.
“I was watching it on the news,” Danforth said. “It was kind of like, you know, ‘there's no good reason you couldn't go too.’”
Danforth has been with the Red Cross for eight years, and he’s been to Kentucky twice already this year.
“When these disasters occur, there are a lot of people that have adversity, you know. Homes are destroyed,” Danforth said.
Danforth is one of more than 90 American Red Cross volunteers responding to help victims of the Friday tornado. Executive Director of the Bluegrass Chapter Lynne Washbish says they've had volunteers on the ground since the floods in February.
“This is the third disaster the Red Cross has responded to this year, so we've just been hit really hard,” she said.
In London, the Red Cross is offering shelter and filling needs in the community.
“This is one of our shelters here in London, Kentucky at the First Baptist Church,” Washbish said. “We are also are out with our emergency response vehicles riding through the neighborhoods that have been destroyed and feeding people as they continue their clean up.”
As the storms have continued to come, these Red Cross workers continue their mission – to be there for the people until brighter days arrive.
“I think at the end of the day it's the mission,” Washbish said. “It's the blanket that we are around their shoulders to let them know that they're going to be okay and that we're going to walk through this with them and that they will get through this and the Red Cross will be there until the end.”
Washbish said the best way to support the work of the Red Cross is by donating or signing up to volunteer. You can do that at redcross.org.
