Houstonians headed to help in Florida ahead of Hurricane Ian
HOUSTON - A number of Houstonians are headed to Florida where Hurricane Ian is expected to do quite a bit of damage.
One Northwest Houston disaster services non-profit still has 65 volunteers helping in Puerto Rico. Just this morning, they sent another 15 people and truckloads of supplies to Florida ahead of Hurricane Ian.
"We have to offer immediate relief that we have to provide to the people such as clothing and so many other things," says Ozzy Capmany, Director of Operations with the National Association of Christian Churches Disaster Services.
In the organization's warehouse in northwest Houston, more than a dozen volunteers got an early morning start, loading supplies such as water and personal hygiene products, before driving the items to Florida where residents are bracing for Hurricane Ian’s arrival.
"We open shelters and provide immediate needs and after that we take care of long term recovery," Capmany explains.
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Capmany says they are also sending a disaster vehicle, trailer and hundreds more volunteers to Florida later in the week.
"We have mobile kitchens, and we can provide more than 40,000 meals a day. We have mobile restrooms, mobile showers, laundry," Capmany adds.
Todd Breland, Director of the South Texas Cajun Navy, recently moved to Florida, near Orlando. He’s among many others preparing for Ian and swarming stores.
"It's absolutely crazy as everyone makes sure they have supplies, canned goods, water, generator, fuel and just scrambling like stirred ants," Breland explains. He says volunteers with the Cajun Navy will do what they do best, if necessary.
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"I am willing and able to help local authorities with high water rescues in the greater central Florida region near Tampa."
"We have over 300 volunteers who are on the ground right now," says Brittney Rochell with the American Red Cross who we caught up with as she was flying out of Houston. "We’re getting to Florida ahead of the storm, so we can set up evacuation centers. So we can get those shelters ready to go".
If you want to help the organizations we spoke with, they say they always need volunteers. Here are the web addresses for each nacchelps.org, redcross.org and cajunrelief.org.