Columbia, SC (WLTX) American Red Cross disaster workers have been working for weeks, helping people impacted by hurricanes.
The Palmetto South Carolina region of the American Red Cross has a team in Atlanta, ready to head to the U.S. Virgin Islands once it is safe to do so.
“We're dealing with human beings that are great in need and I think we all, we're put here to help each other,” American Red Cross Disaster Manager Lou Palm explained.
Palm is from North Myrtle Beach and is one of three South Carolinians headed to the U.S. territory.
The islands are trying to overcome a double hit after Hurricane Irma destroyed much of St. John and St. Thomas and then two weeks later Hurricane Maria devastated St. Croix.
People have lost their lives and communities have been eradicated.
“All the cell towers are down obviously the hurricane destroyed a lot of the communication nodes, getting around, transportation is going to be difficult, and even getting into the island itself is proven to be very very hard, no air condition, no running water, the basic commodities are just not available in the Virgin Islands at this time,” he said.
Palm said the team will help with medical care, distributing products, helping with shelters, and doing anything that's needed.
He is slated to be there until the end of October.
“We’ve had people from all over the country come to help us in South Carolina both during Hurricane Matthew and the storm of 2015,” the American Red Cross worker said of South Carolina’s duty to give back.
If you would like to donate, please visit: https://www.redcross.org/donate/donation
More than 5,200 Red Cross disaster workers are on the ground helping those affected by Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria.
For more on U.S. Virgin Island's disaster relief, you can also visit: https://www.usvirecovery.org/