CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Volunteers with both the Tennessee River Chapter of the American Red Cross and the Montgomery County Emergency Medical Services left over the weekend to assist with Hurricane Dorian relief efforts.
Two volunteers from the Tennessee River Chapter of the American Red Cross left Clarksville Monday in their Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV) to aid in the needs of victims affected by Hurricane Dorian.
Red Cross volunteers, James Cauthen of Clarksville and Joyce Work from Dickson, will be driving to Montgomery, Alabama which is a staging site and be prepared to be sent to Florida to a site depending on where they are needed to help those people in the areas affected by the storm.
Cauthen talked about why he volunteers with the Red Cross and helps those in need. “I help because it gives people hope. Without hope they have nothing because they may have lost everything they just had, so we give them hope. They can rebuild their lives and there’s someone there to help them,” Cauthen said.
According to Pamela Holz, Executive Director of the Tennessee River Chapter of the Red Cross in Clarksville, 1,600 trained volunteers from across the country, 41 of those from the Tennessee Region, and 110 Emergency Response Vehicles are heading to the areas in the path of Hurricane Dorian.
The Montgomery County Emergency Medical Service (MCEMS) deployed an advanced life support unit and the TN region 5 strike team leader to support hurricane efforts in Florida.
The Montgomery County team joined other emergency management personnel across the state as they headed to Florida. The crew set up in Gainsville, Florida watching Dorian move and trying to predict the path of the hurricane.
MCEMS will continue to move closer to the storm as safe staging areas are determined.