PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — After Hurricane Helene devastated communities across the Southeast, the Rhode Island chapter of the American Red Cross is preparing to send additional aid to those in need.
Many residents remain without power, access to main roads or shelter following Helene’s landfall as a Category 4 hurricane on Sept. 26.
MORE: Hurricane Helene devastates southeastern U.S. states
Forty-five Red Cross emergency response vehicles have already been deployed to the affected areas, with 15 more set to head out Tuesday.
Jamie Lynch, senior director of disaster services for the American Red Cross in Rhode Island, said the vans serve as mobile food trucks and are fully stocked with food and water, allowing volunteers to provide around 300 meals a day to those impacted.
“These vans really go into the hardest hit communities and neighborhoods to distribute those meals for people that are trying to recover and muck out their basements, or even if they’re in a shelter location and they can’t get access to food,” Lynch explained.