Fort Wayne crews with I&M and the Red Cross travel to Florida ahead of the hurricane

FORT WAYNE, Indiana (WANE) — Crews from northeastern Indiana with I&M and the American Red Cross will head to Florida Tuesday before Hurricane Ian causes damage this week.

According to an I&M press release, Fort Wayne employees are among 350 preparing to help with expected power outages. The crews plan to work 16-hour days and will remain in Florida indefinitely, according to the press release.

I&M said in the statement that they are still prepared to respond if there are outages in Indiana and Michigan.

At least 12 Indiana Red Cross volunteers, including some from Fort Wayne, are also en route to the Gulf Coast to help with housing needs, mental health services, nutritional assistance, deployment support, short- and long-term recovery efforts and more. according to a statement from the nonprofit organization.

Additional Indiana volunteers may travel there in the coming days as Red Cross teams continue to find needs in the affected area.

The Red Cross listed several ways to help during this time:

• Visit the website, call 800-RED CROSS or text REDCROSS at 90999 to make a $10 donation. Donations allow the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to, and help people recover from these disasters. This includes providing food, shelter, supplies, emotional support and other assistance.
• The Red Cross is still looking for Disaster Response Team (DAT) volunteers. As a DAT volunteer, you will provide emotional support, financial support, and information to help families begin the recovery process. Volunteers are trained to respond to these emergencies. Those interested can register online.
• Appropriate blood donors in parts of the country not affected by the storm are encouraged to donate blood to ensure an adequate blood supply. Through our national inventory system, the Red Cross is able to move blood across the country to wherever and whenever it is most needed