Disaster relief efforts are in full swing along the southeastern seaboard, as emergency workers and volunteers endeavor to provide shelter to those displaced by Hurricane Matthew and clean up the damage left in the storm's wake.
The American Red Cross is at the forefront of those efforts in Georgia, having positioned more than 500 workers, 39 response vehicles and 7 trailer-loads of supplies in the state.
Seasoned relief worker Ron Laughton, a Red Cross volunteer based out of Clarke County, said this week that theoverall scope of relief efforts is the largest he has seen.
"We are being stretched out considerably, many shelters have been set up," he said, adding: "Several have closed as necessary so people can get back to their homes."
Appearing on the Wednesday edition of WDUN's Afternoon News Wrap, Laughton, who has previously volunteered at smaller shelters in the Winder and Athens areas, said the Red Cross' focus has been on the individuals who were forced out of their homes, while other emergency workers are primarily dealing with clean-up efforts.
"[In my previous experiences] we had very few problems. This one..I don't know how badly people's homes were damaged, that part we never did know," he explained. "We're just concentrating on taking care of them for the immediate time, and they had a place today and were comfortable."
"People [at the shelters] made it very convenient for the children and the people who just had to be away from their homes," he continued. "People, as I spoke to them...were very happy with where they were at that time."
The sizable impact left by Hurricane Matthew has since resulted in volunteer shortages; Laughton said although there are many ways people can assist in relief efforts, the Red Cross' largest need at this time is volunteers who can assist on-site.
"One of the main things is, if anybody has any spare time at all to be of assistance personally with the Red Cross, we need people," he said. "It's hard to keep our volunteers in all areas so that we can respond. We're just short of people."
"That's the main thing," he continued. "Anybody of any age would be of great help to just contact your local Red Cross and let them know you're available to be personally involved in the program."
Those looking to provide financial support can do so over the phone by texting the word "Matthew" to 9-0-9-9-9.
More information about ongoing relief efforts, including what contributions can be made by civilians, can be found here.
