TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The southeastern United States is only just beginning to see the impacts of Helene, the devastating storm which was at one point a category 4 hurricane.
Folks in Maryland are down there helping, including local energy providers and employees and volunteers for the Red Cross.
Barry Stocksdale, a Carroll County native, drives for Westminster-based Tevis Energy, and is in Florida this week.
Stocksdale drove into Perry on Friday morning, a city along Florida's panhandle, and told WMAR the airport there is being used to stage for drivers.
"Some of the roads were still blocked," Stocksdale recalled the morning drive. "National Guard was clearing that as we were coming in. Now we're here at the airport, everything's getting set up for the operation of the trucks going out and fixing the wires, and we're here to fuel them up so that's one less burden on them."
Tevis deployed about a dozen trucks from Maryland to the southeast. The company's mission, it said, is to keep utility contractors fueled as they restore the power.
Meantime, Saskia Lindsay, a Baltimore resident and Red Cross spokesperson, was outside Keaton Beach, about 75 miles south of Tallahassee.
"Today, we've got around 500 disaster responders on the ground, who are bringing thousands of warm meals, waters, snacks, emergency supplies to people in this community," Lindsay said.
Two dozen Baltimore-area volunteers made the journey.
RELATED: Baltimore workers, volunteers responding to Hurricane Helene
"This community is suffering from a third hurricane in just over a year. And we were talking to people who live in this area, who are telling us they're so tired, and hope is the only thing really keeping them going at this point."
Red Cross volunteers are focused on going into those communities to get those folks supplies and assistance.
If you'd like to donate, you can text 'Helene' to 90999.
