Hatboro Volunteer to Help Tornado Victims

Hatboro resident and Red Cross mental health volunteer Sam Cameron will be aiding victims of last Friday’s deadly tornado outbreak in the Midwest for at least the next 10 to 14 days, American Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania Director of Communications Dave Schrader said.

Cameron and another local volunteer, Joe Cirillo, of Havertown, were notified they would be needed at around 9 a.m. Thursday and were on a flight to the storm-ravaged area by 2:45 p.m., according to Schrader.

The two Red Cross volunteers reported Friday morning to the Red Cross’ temporary command post in Clarksville, Indiana. From the command post, Cameron and Cirillo will receive word on where they are needed most.

Both men will be deployed to areas where last week’s string of tornado outbreaks destroyed a large amount of homes, businesses and other structures. Cameron will help counsel victims of last week’s storms, which killed 12 people, according to numbers provided by Indiana State Police.

Schrader said Cameron, who has previous experience as a disaster volunteer, will visit neighborhoods, schools, hospital and shelters in the affected towns and offer to talk with survivors one-on-one.

Cameron and Cirillo were called to service yesterday to help supplement other volunteers in the Midwest, many of whom have been working in the tornado- damaged towns since last week. Volunteer’s information was pulled from a nationwide database used by the Red Cross to selected who is available and ready to offer their skills.

You can help by donating to the American Red Cross’ Disaster Relief Fund.