Five Red Cross volunteers from Northeast Ohio are heading to Puerto Rico to aid in relief efforts after Hurricane Maria caused “apocalyptic” conditions there.
The volunteers, two of whom are Red Cross staff members, will join more than 200 volunteers from the national chapters already on the ground in Puerto Rico.
The island of 3.5 million people was hit by two major Hurricanes this month, Irma and Maria.
“They’ve got support systems set up. We’re looking to bolster that support and increase the capabilities of distributing water, food, and supplies to the people that don’t have anything right now,” Bruce Butler said of the group’s work.
Butler works for the Red Cross’s biomedical arm and decided to volunteer for the disaster relief efforts when he heard about the level of devastation on the island.
Jorge Martinez, Red Cross of Greater Cleveland’s chief operations officer, said that devastation will pose problems for volunteer as they attempt to navigate the island and distribute resources.
Downed power lines and trees, he said, are blocking many roadways, but there are even larger challenges to the Puerto Rico operation than just traversing the island itself.
“This isn’t like Florida where trucks from Northeast Ohio can drive down and clear trees and fix power lines, right?” he said. “Everything comes either through air or through water.”
There are 74 Northeast Ohioans volunteering with the Red Cross in response to Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.
