Central Florida volunteers to help with Harvey relief efforts

More than a dozen Central Florida Red Cross volunteers are on their way to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to help with Harvey disaster relief efforts. 

• Central Florida volunteers to help with Harvey relief efforts
• Some sent to Louisiana, others Texas
• Trucks packed with food and lots of water
• RELATED:
  
  • Tropical storm Harvey weakens slightly
    

Many of the volunteers will likely head to parts of Texas that were hardest hit.

John Lanzetti is driving one of three Central Florida Red Cross trucks out west.  Lanzetti is no stranger to helping out in disasters.

“I was in the Texas floods last year, the Louisiana floods last year, Matthew and Hermine, also the Pulse shooting,” said Lanzetti.

Lanzetti says going through several natural disasters when he was young inspired him to become a Red Cross volunteer.

“And the Red Cross was always there somehow or in some way to help somebody out, and later on I said maybe I can give back to the community,” he said.

Lanzetti loaded up his truck with food and lots of water.

“There’s so many things that go on in a disaster like this that the general public doesn’t really understand, that, when we hear about that the first thing we want to do is to jump in and get there and set up and help these people the best possibly way that we can,” Lanzetti said.

Lanzetti says he’s prepared to expect the worst.

“The smart people are prepared, and those that aren’t – we’re going to be there to help – that’s what we’re going to do,” he said.

The volunteers from Central Florida will likely be gone for at least two weeks helping out – maybe longer.

The Red Cross says it would send more people to help, but it is intentionally keeping many of its volunteers in Central Florida in case a storm or other disaster hits our area in the coming weeks.