NORTH PORT, Fla. — Hundreds of Hoosiers are helping people during the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, including more than a dozen Indiana American Red Cross volunteers.
They are proving people shelter, food, water and medical aid.
Last Friday, some of the volunteers were traveling through North Port when they noticed a truck and a group of people stuck in the water.
“We noticed that there were two gentlemen standing outside with their hood up on their truck. They were in the middle of some water on the road, and nobody seemed to be stopping to assist them. I’m like, ‘We need to stop and help these people if we can.’ So, we got out and offered them assistance,” said Joe Young, a communications specialist with American Red Cross.
Young and two other volunteers helped get the two men back on the road, but shortly after, the volunteers’ car also got stuck.
Thankfully, two flatbed trucks came by and took them to a gas station.
“There were at least a hundred cars there and people were just piled in. A lot of them had run out of gas or were running out of gas and the owner said they won’t have any more gas for 16 to 24 hours,” Young said.
After waiting several hours, the volunteers received a ride from an Uber driver who took them to a hotel where the Red Cross had rooms, but the hotel said all the rooms were also accounted for.
The volunteers finally found a Red Cross shelter that had room and was able to spend the night.
“I knew we would get out of there eventually and most people would, but some people, once they got out, still didn’t have anywhere to go. We did. We were lucky,” Young said.
