The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency is just one of multiple agencies from the Bay State helping out in the aftermath of two hurricanes hitting the southeast.
Three MEMA employees had been deployed to assist in the response and recovery efforts in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virgina following Hurricane Helene. And the agency has now also offered its support to Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, and could deploy more personnel down there in the days and weeks ahead.
WATCH ANYTIME FOR FREE
 |
Stream NBC10 Boston news for free, 24/7, wherever you are. |
More than a dozen Red Cross volunteers from Massachusetts were also already down in southeast helping with hurricane relief efforts.
"The Red Cross was able to preposition hundreds of blood products down to Florida," said Kelly Isenor, Red Cross Massachusetts director of communications. "With this sustained severe weather, it might force blood drives to either cancel or reschedule, or donors just can't get out, so we have been prepositioning blood products in place so that hospital needs can still be met even when the hurricane's going on."
Get updates on what's happening in Boston to your inbox. Sign up for our News Headlines newsletter.
They were deployed for two weeks before Helene hit, but many are now staying longer and pivoting to help following Milton’s devastation – preparing supplies and shelter for those directly impacted.
And employees from the Salvation Army out of Boston are in what’s known as a "Red Alert" following the back-to-back monster storms.
They are spreading out across several states to help with recovery efforts.
“Well, from this division, from Massachusetts, we have nine people already there, two in Florida," said Alfonso Ciriaco, from Salvation Army Boston Central. "We have like 12 people here in alert, waiting to be deployed to the south. We have people helping already on the past Helene Hurricane, including my wife – she's right there, helping in all the needs in Georgia.”
With back-to-back hurricanes, it’s unclear how long these teams from Massachusetts will be deployed to the impacted areas.
