ST. LOUIS — In the wake of Hurricane Helene, Missouri Task Force 1 and the American Red Cross have extended a helping hand.
On Sunday, cleanup and recovery continued from the Category 4 storm that killed at least 64 people across multiple states and left millions without power.
Randy Sanders, task force leader with the Boone County Fire Protection District's Missouri Task Force 1 traveled with a large group from Georgia to North Carolina to assist.
"We're seeing a lot of trees down. There's no power. Very limited infrastructure around where we're at right now, so fuel is very important. We just stopped (and) filled our tanks up," Sanders said.
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Sanders shared that the crew were prepared for whatever scenario they needed to address.
"We take 10,000 pounds of rescue equipment. There's nothing we can't do when we arrive," he explained.
Ken Barger, a disaster services volunteer for the American Red Cross, kept people comforted inside a shelter in Hudson Florida, 30 miles south of Cedar Key where the eye of the storm.
"Most of my clients here in the shelter were rescued out of the water by their homes, and all they have is what they have on their backs. So, it was pretty devastating to the whole county," Barger said.
The American Red Cross gets the families safe, feeds them and houses them right after they are rescued or lose their homes.
"(We) calm them down just a little bit. Some of them, they just don't have anything and don't know where to go," he said.
The organization also helps families rebuild their lives beyond the natural disaster.
"Other teams from the Red Cross, caseworkers and others (will) be coming in to help them transition and help them through the recovery process to get where they need to be," Barger shared.
Both Sanders and Barger said they were grateful to be able to sacrifice their time with family to be a vessel in this torn community.
FEMA has already begun to work with families impacted by the storms.
The nation's top disaster agency plans to organize a federal force of over 3,200 personnel to contribute their expertise to the mission.