Coventry Man En Route to Georgia with Red Cross

PROVIDENCE, RI — American Red Cross volunteer Bernard Zettl is deploying to Tifton, Georgia to support Red Cross relief efforts after a tumultuous weekend of severe weather. Once there, Bernard will serve as shelter service associate. Bernard is one of close to 3,000 Red Cross volunteers in the Connecticut and Rhode Island Region of the American Red Cross and is a responder from the Coventry area.

The American Red Cross is on the ground providing shelter, food, relief supplies and other support to help people across the country after dozens of tornadoes and severe weather left a path of destruction in areas of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Arkansas and Florida over the weekend. In addition, southern California has been hit with another storm, bringing heavy rains, increased risk for landslides and leaving thousands without power.

Sunday night, Red Cross and community shelters provided refuge to more than 100 people in Mississippi, Georgia and California. In Mississippi alone, preliminary damage reports show nearly 500 homes were damaged. Throughout the affected areas, volunteers are also providing emotional support and helping to replace medicines and things like eyeglasses.