Southern Colorado Red Cross volunteers continue to help shelter Floridians
(Note: To help people affected by Hurricane Ian, visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS, or text the word IAN to 90999 to make a $10 donation)
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo, (KRDO) -- Hurricane Ian, a category four storm in Florida has left several parts of the state devastated.
People in Florida are now living in the aftermath of hurricane Ian, while thousands are still without power and struggling to get back on their feet.
Hundreds of Red Cross volunteers, including some from Southern Colorado, are on the ground working to ensure those people feel supported.
It's a tragedy for many families in Southwest Florida who are now starting over.
One Southern Colorado American Red Cross volunteer says they are preparing to provide shelter for families for months.
Sheila Seabloom, a Colorado Springs resident says she was really anxious about her parents' wellbeing during the hurricane.
"I actually lost touch with them at 3:30 pm Colorado time, and I found out about 4:30 pm that the cell towers went down for some cell services, so that's when it was really scary," Seabloom said.
It was a long night for Seabloom, not knowing how her parents were doing at their home in Fort Myers.
"Kind of a rough night for me, this morning my sister got through to my mom and it was just like I could breathe again just knowing they're ok, but the exterior damage to their home was substantial," said Seabloom.
And her parents' home isn't the only one seeing that damage. Southern colorado Red Cross Volunteer, Thea Wasche, says this is the case for thousands of families now.
"This is the highest level disaster in the red cross. We call it a level seven. It is unusual to have a level seven. That means it is over $10,000,000," said Wasche, "It is going to escalate and we are going to prepare to take care of these people for a long time."
There are 23,000 people in Red Cross shelters right now. Not only are they in need of volunteers, but they are also hoping to bring in donations to continue their mission.
To help head to their website.
