Red Cross volunteers from Minnesota head southeast to help with hurricane relief

MINNEAPOLIS — As Hurricane Milton makes landfall in Florida, nearly 100 Red Cross volunteers and workers from Minnesota and the Dakotas are ready to help.

Many are already on the ground in parts of Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas helping with recovery efforts from Hurricane Helene .

The organization's regional headquarters has also deployed all seven of its Emergency Response Vehicles filled with supplies to help areas hardest hit.

Kimberly Vosseteig, executive director for the American Red Cross serving eastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota, deployed to North Carolina, just outside Asheville, where she is helping local rural families recover from Hurricane Helene.

She said many communities and businesses were inundated with standing water as helicopters flew constantly overhead to bring in relief supplies.

Red Cross leaders note that trained volunteers deploying now, in person and virtually, initially responded to local disasters like home fires. The organization is calling for people to roll up a sleeve to help replace the blood products not collected from blood drives cancelled across the Southeast.

One way people can help is to volunteer as a Blood Donor Ambassador , welcoming and checking in donors at drives.

The American Red Cross is also working to restock critically needed blood products because of the ongoing impact of Hurricane Helene's devastation and anticipated impact of Hurricane Milton in the Southeast.

Donors outside of affected areas — including our Minnesota and Dakotas region — are encouraged to make an appointment to give now and help keep the blood supply stable in the weeks to come.

Anyone who give blood in the month of October will receive a $10 Amazon.com gift card and be automatically entered for a chance to win one of three $5,000 gift cards.

For full details, click here .