COLORADO, USA — Several Coloradans are deployed in areas impacted by Hurricane Helene and Milton. They are volunteering for weeks at a time through the American Red Cross.
“I'm horrified by what I see,” said Kim Mailes, a volunteer. “It is widespread and it's disastrous.”
Mailes responded to Hurricane Helene, came home for five days, and heads back to Florida for Hurricane Milton on Friday. He didn't think he'd be in for back-to-back trips.
"We knew that there was a storm brewing off the coast, but we had our fingers crossed that it wouldn't come,” Mailes said. “But it did.”
The places are unrecognizable and the faces are unforgettable.
“What I remember the most are the faces of the people that we help, the people that are suffering, the people that are at their wits end,” Mailes said. “And helping them to cope with the disaster and providing safety, and the basic necessities of life they need right now.”
“It puts a lot in perspective,” said Phi Filerman, another volunteer.
Filerman is from Carbondale and is deployed to Georgia, for now.
“I could be anywhere tomorrow,” Filerman said. “I flew in Monday night, and Tuesday morning we came down and set up the center.”
Devastation in her home state inspired her to step in.
“We had all those fires and things going on in Colorado, and watching these things happen and not being able to do anything to help,” Filerman said.
While Mailes and Filerman aren't paid as volunteers, they get paid in the satisfaction of helping those who need it most.
“It just feels good,” Filerman said. “It feels like you're able to provide a service to your fellow humans that are going through something, you know, and I have faith that if I was going through it, they would be there for me.”
If you’d like to volunteer for the American Red Cross, you can visit their website for more information.