Maryland Red Cross volunteers deploy to Texas amid nationwide severe weather crisis
BALTIMORE -- American Red Cross workers from Maryland are in Texas helping those impacted by severe weather.
Severe weather has pummeled several areas of the country this week. There have been tornadoes in Oklahoma, North Carolina, Michigan and other states.
Tuesday night, at least three people were killed after tornadoes touched down in Tennessee.
"We are seeing very much the trendline going the wrong way in terms of the frequency and strength of disasters," American Red Cross Maryland Executive Director Curt Luthye said.
Curt Luthye is the Executive Director of the Red Cross here in Maryland.
"Storms are more intense," Luthye said. "Flooding is more regular."
Hundreds of Red Cross volunteers across the country are on the ground in the areas impacted by these storms.
Three members of Luthye's team in Maryland are in Texas, which is seeing extreme flooding.
The workers are expected to be down there for at least two weeks assisting families with shelter, food and emotional support, but they can't do that work alone.
"We need more people to help join in this work," Luthye said. "So, we're doing a lot of work to really bolster those community partners."
The hope is forging partnerships in areas where disasters happen often will keep those communities ready and alert.
"To really build community resiliency and the thought there is that as we strengthen the communities, they will be able to bounce back, faster, better, stronger," Luthye said.
The American Red Cross also wants to remind people in our area they are preparing for hurricane season, which starts June 1.
