BUFFALO – The American Red Cross has been working to prepare for Hurricane Dorian and help people who have been forced to evacuate as the storm tracks towards the U.S. coast.
The threat of a direct hit on Florida had all but evaporated, although Dorian is expected to pass dangerously close to Georgia and South Carolina — and perhaps strike North Carolina — on Thursday or Friday. The hurricane’s eye passed to the east of Cape Canaveral, Florida, early Wednesday morning morning.
While the exact path of Dorian has been uncertain, millions of people live in areas that could be impacted by wind, rain, flooding and a high storm surge, even if the storm doesn’t make direct landfall on the east coast. As a result, hundreds of Red Cross volunteers are coordinating with partners to support people seeking refuge in hurricane evacuation centers.
More than 1,900 trained Red Cross responders from all over the country are helping to support relief efforts, including 17 from Western New York. Among them is Jamestown’s Nicole Roma – who will be assisting with Red Cross staff services in South Carolina.
Anyone wishing to held the Red Cross through a donation or as a volunteer is encouraged to visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS, or text the word DORIAN to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
As of early Wednesday morning, at least seven deaths were reported in the Bahamas as a result of Dorian, with the full scope of the disaster still unknown. Meanwhile, People on the U.S. coast made final preparations for a storm with winds at a still-dangerous 105 mph (168 kph), making it a Category 2 storm.
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