COLORADO SPRINGS — Thousands of volunteers from all across the country made their way down to the Gulf Coast this past weekend.
Among those were volunteers from The American Red Cross and Colorado Springs Fire Department.
Five crew members from CSFD were deployed with "Colorado Task Force One" for search and rescue.
The crew departed on Saturday morning and arrived in Lafayette, La. on Sunday afternoon.
Of those five, Lt. Aaron McConnellogue, says it was quite an art to get from one part of the country to the other, safely.
"Everyone is here to do their job and get it done and take care of this community," said Lt. McConnellogue.
Back in Colorado Springs, Captain Bill Hull tries to remain in tight communication with Lt. McConnellogue and his team who is more than 1,000 miles away.
"These guys are on the ground today. This is day one of them going out and assessing the situation. There is a lot of unknowns," said Captain Hull.
To prevent those unknowns, the search and rescue teams are properly prepared, trained, and equipped for whatever may come their way.
Each member has a helmet, dry suit, shoes, and throw bag.
"We are prepared to help mitigate in an array of disaster to rescue, to medical aid, to structural," said said Lt. McConnellogue.
Across town, The American Red Cross also set out on Saturday with a dozen volunteers.
"We are prepared, we are ready to go, we are taking care of shelters," said Shawn Schulze, Colorado Chief Operating Officer for The American Red Cross.
The assistance from The Red Cross has already been received.
On Sunday night, 2,500 people stayed in their shelters.
"We show compassion, we show grace. We find ways to support them. It may be as simple as a snack, a hug, or patting them on the back," said Schulze.
The mission for both The American Red Cross and the Task Force is the same. Assess the situation, help out, and support.
"They don't care what city you are from. The goal is we are all Americans and we are here to help out," said Captain Hull.
To donate or show your support to those impacted from Hurricane Ida click here.
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