The Longview, Wash., resident stood in the ticketing area of Portland International Airport, wearing a jacket sporting Red Cross insignia. The 72-year-old retired communications and customer-service professional was booked to fly to Georgia, one of the states in the southern U.S. hit hard by Hurricane Helene.

‘THIS IS SAFE’: HELENE FAMILY SHARES WHAT SHELTER MEANS TO THEM In emergency shelters, Red Cross disaster volunteers provide people with a safe place to stay, necessities like food and water, and critical services like mental health support and basic health services such as replacing lost medications or medical equipment.

Hurricane Helene has devastated six states, leaving at least 130 people dead and hundreds missing. Lives ended, houses destroyed, towns flooded, the hurricane’s path of destruction has a steep cost. Nearly 1.