Hurricane Idalia: New Jersey, Pennsylvania sending volunteers to help recovery efforts

PENNSAUKEN, N.J. (CBS) — Florida residents will not be alone as they face the effects of Hurricane Idalia. Local volunteers from New Jersey and Pennsylvania are answering the call to help recovery efforts.

While Philadelphia may be a thousand miles away, it’s not unusual for crews in the area to heed the call for help.

That’s what’s happening as the American Red Cross and state search and rescue crews travel to where the storm is happening.

Lynn Paul with the American Red Cross said a team is headed to Alabama to wait out the storm until it passes.

She first volunteered during Hurricane Katrina.

“Their mission is just to help everybody and anybody at the worst time of their lives, it makes it very easy to volunteer,” Paul said.

As people in the Tampa region prepare for the storm, the American Red Cross New Jersey Region and Urban Search and Rescue crews from New Jersey and Pennsylvania are sending help immediately.

The New Jersey Office of Emergency Management posted on X, the social media website once known as Twitter, photos of New Jersey Task Force 1.

Pennsylvania Task Force 1 is also getting into position.

Each team has about 45 people.

The New Jersey Task Force 1 program manager said they’re ready for everything, from high wind damage to flash flooding.

“We traveled last night. We got down here about 8 o’clock this morning,” NJ-TF1 program manager Kevin Morrissey said. “And we’re at the South Carolina State Fire Academy and we’re staging. We’re just waiting for FEMA’s next move for us.”

“Honestly, we hope this is a nothing storm and we just get to turn around and come home,” PA-TF1 program manager Ken Pagurek said.