HELPING OTHERS — Seth Kenefick of Steubenville, a disaster program specialist for the Ohio River Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross, is assisting at the Red Cross disaster relief headquarters in Florida. -- Contributed

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Hurricane Helene has devastated Florida.

Last week, the Category 4 storm brought destruction to the state’s capital of Tallahassee.

And it didn’t stop there. Areas to the north, including North and South Carolina, as well as to the southeast, including Tampa, saw excessive damage and several deaths as a result.

The town of Chimney Rock, N.C., has been destroyed.

Enter the American Red Cross.

Among those deployed to assist Floridians is Steubenville resident Seth Kenefick, who serves as a disaster program specialist for the Ohio River Valley Chapter of the nonprofit organization.

He stated he began his position approximately a year ago and is assisting at the American Red Cross disaster relief headquarters in Tallahassee.

Among those working with Kenefick is Red Cross shelter coordinator Chip Pickering of Parkersburg.

Kenefick has been witnessing firsthand some of the ruin brought on by the storm.

“I saw directly after Hurricane Helene hit a lot of downed limbs and trees, several power outages and lots of destruction caused by wind damage,” Kenefick said.

“There also are reports out of Tampa of flooding damage,” he added, noting storm surges occurred more inland.

Kenefick said he left Steubenville on Sept. 23, arriving in Tallahassee prior to last week’s storm to help work with the disaster cycle services team. His job entails working with the team that manages emergency response, relief and recovery during disastrous situations. The team guides, leads and supports trained volunteers who provide care to those affected by disasters — including those working in the shelters.

“They are the first ones people meet,” Kenefick explained of the volunteers, noting these teams are the ones who welcome, orient and support the people entering the shelters. They offer them safe lodging and accommodations.

When asked why this job is important, he responded with a simple answer.

“The Red Cross provides hope,” he stated. “These are people who have just lost everything. They have lost their homes. They have lost all of their clothes. They do not have anything left. And they don’t know where to turn.”

Kenefick said the Red Cross works with these individuals and families to help them get back on their feet. He said it makes him feel good to be able to help people.

And the people of Florida and even the Carolinas are in need of hope.

According to The Associated Press, more than 120 people have been killed by the storm, and the sheriff’s department in Pinellas County stated an additional nine lives were lost due to drowning in Tampa.

Shelters and operations are consistently having to readjust based on the progress being made in recovery efforts, Pickering added.

While Kenefick will be returning to the Ohio Valley on Monday, there are others who were deployed to the area who are unsure of how long they will have to stay.

Factors will include where their assistance will be needed next and if there is someone available to relieve them.

“This deployment is going to have major hardships,” stated Sharon Kesselring, executive director of the Red Cross Ohio River Valley Chapter. “The storm’s destruction is massive across the states.”

The agency’s priority at this time is sheltering and feeding displaced residents, she explained. The level of destruction is making it hard for volunteers. Anything can change from one moment to the next, she added. “It’s amazing how quickly we can pivot to make things happen.”

As of Sunday evening, the Red Cross was managing or supporting approximately 70 shelters for at least 2,600 survivors. Although some people have been able to return to their homes to assess damage, residents near Tampa will remain in shelters until they are able to get closer to their homes and evaluate the destruction.

While some progress has been made — electricity has been restored to millions who have been without power — there are still millions who must wait until power and water is restored to their areas before they will be able to determine if their homes are repairable or salvageable, Kesselring said.

Remnants of the storm hit the southern tips of Ohio and West Virginia, Kenefick said.

“We still have responders at home who are working in areas affected by Helene, including Scioto County in Ohio and Mercer County in West Virginia,” he said.

“We are out in full force helping people in the community and are always looking for disaster volunteers,” Kenefick added.

He stated if those volunteers can deploy across the country to help in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas, “we would be very grateful.” Or, if there are disaster volunteers who would be willing to work locally in areas such as Ohio and West Virginia, that could free up others who are working those sites and allow them to deploy across the country to help.

“The Red Cross is always in need of people to do these types of jobs,” Kenefick said. “There are more than 35 deployable positions.”

Requirements include training, but a lot of it is basic training, he explained. Officials are willing to work with those interested in these positions and get them the required training in a way which works best for them, he added.

Areas covered by the Ohio River Valley Chapter include West Virginia, and parts of Ohio, Kentucky, Maryland and Virginia.