Local agencies deploy to help with hurricane recovery

JACKSON, Tenn. — As Hurricane Dorian heads toward the southeastern U.S., crews from West Tennessee deployed to help with recovery efforts.

“We’re with four ambulance strike teams from Tennessee, and they’re sending two more up,” said Wayne Arnold, regional hospital coordinator with Jackson-Madison County Regional Health Department. “We are going to be supporting them. They’ll be doing 911 calls and assisting the local jurisdictions.”

Arnold’s crew with the health department was originally sent to Gainesville, Florida, then moved to the neighboring town of High Springs.

As of Tuesday, they’re heading to Raleigh, North Carolina, in response to Dorian’s shifting path.

“We’re hoping to get ahead of any real winds since all of the equipment we are carrying is high. We want to get up there and get established a little bit,” Arnold said.

A group of linemen from JEA were also sent to Gainesville, where they will wait for further instructions from officials.

“They’re holding us until the storm goes all the way through, and then if there’s work to do, we’ll go to work from there,” JEA electric foreman Russell Gibson said.

As people prepare, 50 Red Cross volunteers from across Tennessee deployed to the coast.

However, they need more feet on the ground in Dorian’s path.

“The Red Cross will take care of your training, your accommodations, and provide you with what you need for a successful deployment experience,” said Heather Carbajal, disaster program manager with the American Red Cross of Mid-West Tennessee.

Carbajal says the greatest need is for volunteers to help in Red Cross shelters in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas.

To volunteer with the Red Cross for deployment to these areas, you must have a valid driver’s license, be able to pass a background check, and give two weeks of your time.

For more information, call the American Red Cross of Mid-West Tennessee in Jackson at 731-427-5543.