GREENVILLE/SPARTANBURG, SC, October 14, 2024 – The American Red Cross of South Carolina needs local volunteers to help with a crucial component of the disaster recovery efforts. We are looking for volunteers to do residential damage assessment in Upstate and Western South Carolina.

The task is simple, and this work will go a long way toward ensuring those who experienced damage due to the aftermath of Helene get the assistance they need. Volunteers commit to an hour of Red Cross training and will download a Red Cross app onto their personal device. Once trained, volunteers will go into neighborhoods and take pictures of damaged homes. The picture and the location of the home will be submitted through the app.

The Red Cross would be grateful for a 6–8-hour time commitment, but even just a couple of hours will be a great help. Through this effort we can determine how many homes have been affected and the extent of that damage. The information gathered is used to plan what support families may need in the coming weeks and months.

Anyone interested in helping with this unique volunteer role is asked to email: volunteerhelene@redcross.org.

HOW TO FIND HELP Please call 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767). The Red Cross has disaster mental health workers available at many locations. If you or a loved one needs help, reach out through the Disaster Distress Helpline for free 24/7 multilingual support by calling or texting 1-800-985-5990.

HOW YOU CAN HELP People affected by Hurricane Helene need urgent help now, and we can’t do this alone. You can help by making a financial donation by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or texting the word HELENE to 90999. Financial donations for Hurricane Helene enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from this disaster.

If you would like to volunteer with the Red Cross, visit redcross.org/volunteer to learn more about volunteer opportunities.

Helene has led to the cancellation of blood drives across the Southeast, causing nearly 2,000 blood donations to go uncollected. Those outside the affected areas are encouraged to schedule a blood donation appointment now by visiting RedCrossBlood.org or using the Blood Donor App to help restock the shelves.

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About the American Red Cross The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation’s blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization – not a government agency – and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit http://www.redcross.org/SC or @RedCrossSC.