TAMPA, Fla. — With a few final instructions and a quick signature, Frank Hall heads out of the Red Cross building in Tampa with bags packed. He will spend the next two weeks volunteering in California, helping with supply distribution.

What You Need To Know

  • American Red Cross is on the ground in California where severe storms continue to hit the state this week

  • As of Monday, more than 123,600 customers remained without power as the new storms near, threatening to take down more power across the state again

  • People can help by making a gift to Red Cross Disaster Relief

  • Visit redcross.org, call 800-RED-CROSS or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation

“I am ready to do what I can to go out and help these poor folks that are getting progressively worse out there from what I am seeing on the news," said Hall. 

He knows it's rough where he is headed, with lots of flooding. 

“It’s tiring, it’s hard work, but you are helping people at their lowest in need, so it’s very rewarding," said Hall. 

This is his 32nd trip as a Red Cross volunteer since 2011. He has helped with hurricanes, earthquakes, fires and flooding. Each time it's the victims that keep him signing up to help again. 

“They will come up and they will have tears in their eyes, and they will hug you and thank you. So that kind of overtakes the sad part of it, seeing all the destruction," said Hall.

January is usually a time of year when the Red Cross regroups, but in recent years this has not been possible with disasters seemingly happening year round.

“It has an impact on our volunteers and our workforce, both employees and volunteers, so how we train, and build capacity, it is critically important. When you look at today, there are 800 Red Cross responders that are at work on the west coast, that is something that we usually see nationally in the month of August for hurricane season," said Eric Corliss, Red Cross Regional CEO.

To help, the Red Cross urges people to prepare, volunteer and make donations.