The hurricane season so far, has left hundreds of thousands of people in multiple states without a home to go back to. Just as Texas and Louisiana begin their recovery efforts after Hurricane Harvey another, even bigger hurricane is headed towards Florida.
At the American Red Cross in Nashville, volunteer recruitment is of the upmost importance. About a dozen people showed up for the disaster relief training course Tuesday.
"Volunteering is something I've wanted to do," Jerry Anderson said.
Anderson retired a few years ago and knew he wanted to spend his time giving back. He's seen the devastation left by hurricanes first hand. "I have lived through Hurricane Camille in Mississippi, I was in the Air Force when Camille hit Mississippi," Anderson explained.
In 2005 he was back in Mississippi to help after Hurricane Katrina. "It is unbelievable. When I went down after Katrina and saw Mississippi, the damage was 5 miles inland where the water came," he said.
In those times, communities rely on organizations like the American Red Cross and volunteers like Anderson to get by. The volunteers in Tuesday's course will likely head to Florida soon. They all want to serve, Anderson hopes others will follow.
"Follow your heart. There's a lot of people out there in need right now and for us who are sitting here in middle Tennessee and have the ability to help them, that's what we ought to be doing," Anderson said.
