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American Red Cross volunteers pack bags with food and snack items that will be handed out to people in need in areas hit hard by Hurricane Laura, at the American Red Cross headquarters in Baton Rouge, La. Sept. 3. (Scott Dalton/American Red Cross photo)
PORTLAND — American Red Cross volunteers from Northern New England continue to deploy to major disasters this week, with the latest volunteer from Maine heading to Texas on Sept. 8 to join disaster relief efforts for Hurricane Laura.
Sam McGuire, of Hallowell, reported to Houston as a shelter worker. “Volunteering is what I like to do,” she said. “I just want to give of myself.”
McGuire joins an operation that involves some 1,400 trained disaster workers – including eight other Mainers already on the ground – who have been mobilized to support relief efforts in person or virtually.
Hurricane Laura left terrible devastation in its wake in Louisiana and Texas. The area is experiencing extreme heat as some 200,000 people are still without power. The Red Cross is there continuing to help people with the support of our partners.
While the full extent of damage isn’t yet known, preliminary estimates indicate that more than 700,000 homes were affected by utility outages or heavy wind gusts. Power may be out in some areas for weeks. Officials believe that several thousand homes may either be destroyed or have major damage.
