As Hurricane Ian approaches Florida, trained Utah residents are headed to the East coast hoping to volunteer with disaster relief.
Through the efforts made by the Red Cross, there are more than 500 volunteers in Florida with four Utah residents helping with relief efforts. Officials believe that even more Utah volunteers will travel to the sunshine state over the next few days.
Haydee Tapia, a resident from Roosevelt, Utah, is a small business owner who has been in Florida since Sunday. Tapia has been helping Florida residents prepare for the incoming hurricane, providing sheltering work to people who might need it. Tapia began volunteering for the Red Cross five years ago after coming to Utah from Peru.
Hurricane Ian is expected to hit Florida shores on Wednesday or Thursday according to a prediction made by weather experts. The hurricane reached top winds of 120 miles per hour on Tuesday forcing millions of residents to be placed under storm evacuation orders.
