Local Red Cross needs 100 more volunteers ahead of Hurricane Matthew

As the state continues to watch and wait to see what impact Hurricane Matthew may have, the American Red Cross is reaching out for people to help them respond to the storm.

Posted 2:26 a.m. Oct 6, 2016 — Updated 2:29 a.m. Oct 6, 2016

RALEIGH, N.C. — As the state continues to watch and wait to see what impact Hurricane Matthew may have, the American Red Cross is reaching out for people to help them respond to the storm.

Matthew has been an unpredictable storm, causing damage in the places it has been and constantly changing tracks. Red Cross officials in North Carolina are taking the situation day by day and preparing for the worst.

“We still have to lean forward. We still have to be ready because when and where it hits, it is going to leave a significant impact,” said American Red Cross Regional Chief Executive Officer Barry Porter.

Porter said it takes volunteers to respond to a potentially damaging storm, but there is a shortfall. The Red Cross has 115 volunteers at the ready ahead of the storm but 100 more are needed to provide things like shelter and food to storm victims.

Ninety-seven percent of the workforce in the local Red Cross are volunteers.

Those who can’t donate their time are asked to donate blood. With evacuations underway in South Carolina, blood drives in that state were canceled.

“The needs for the hospitals are going to continue for blood donation and so we can encourage folks in North Carolina to support our South Carolina neighbors,” Porter said.

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