Red Cross disaster trained volunteer to head to Puerto Rico

(Courtesy: American Red Cross)

Columbia, SC (WOLO) — In the wake of Hurricane Fiona making landfall Sunday with winds upwards of 75 miles per hour Puerto Rico is in need of disaster support. The Red Cross of South Carolina stands at the ready to assist as the territory is left with flooding, landslides as the entire island remains without power. One upstate woman who volunteers with the Red Cross, and was in Puerto Rico back in 2017 for Hurricane Maria, is heading back to the island Tuesday.

Red Cross officials say Doris Baumwart is eager to help the region as a part of the Disaster Spiritual Care team they say will provide comfort following the catastrophe. Red Cross officials say they are still working to determine what type of assistance is needed and plan to do a damage assessment when the area is deemed safe enough.

“It’s not stable yet, it’s a situation that is still changing. I was there after Hurricane Maria. This very similar situation happened just five years ago. It’s impacted all these same people all over again,” said Dori Baumwart, American Red Cross Volunteer with the Upstate Chapter. “I’m going very early in the disaster response. The storm is still impacting the island. We’re going to see a lot of confusion, and my role is to help them to process what they’ve experienced, listen to their stories, and think about what they need to do.”

Red Cross officials say as they expect as much as 30 inches of rain before Fiona passes, more than 100 shelters have been opened, a majority of them in schools.  Hundreds who have been evacuated are being told to move to higher ground.