CLEVELAND — As Hurricane Idalia ripped through Florida, members of the American Red Cross of Northeast Ohio chapter made their way down to help with relief efforts.
"What I do is I'm on the feeding team and we'll be feeding the residents in need," said Al Irwin.
Irwin has been a disaster responder for the last six years. He joined the rest of the team in the southeast corner of Alabama, ready to head to Tallahassee Thursday morning to find out their assignment.
"I have 144 packages of 10-day meals," Irwin said.
He's one of over 500 members deployed with the Red Cross ready to help displaced residents. The group as a whole has shelter supplies to support 20,000 people and 100,000 ready-to-eat meals.
Irwin said he's hopeful he can be a bright spot in what has been some very dark days for those impacted.
"People are in need, they have no idea what their next step is. They've gone through a disaster, some have lost their homes, some have lost everything that they have," Irwin said. "And it's just very rewarding to be able to help them, to be able to see the smiles on their face, to say thank you. It's just a very good feeling."
If you would like to help with relief efforts, you can learn more about donations on the Red Cross' website.
