This satellite image taken at 3:06 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, provided by NOAA, shows Hurricane Ian making landfall in southwest Florida near Cayo Costa as a catastrophic Category 4 storm. (NOAA via AP)

Dean Hannah will ship off to Florida this weekend to help with Hurricane Ian relief efforts.

Hannah, divisional emergency disaster services director for the Salvation Army, has about 10 years of experience in helping areas struck by natural disasters, and said seeing the effects firsthand is a motivating factor to continue providing aid.

“The day before, these people were living a regular life, and now it has been turned upside down,” Hannah said. “It gives you the grace about what they are giving to give them the things they need.”

While Hannah and a half-dozen other people from Western Pennsylvania are on the ground in Florida and Puerto Rico helping with relief, there are also many ways for people to get involved at home.

“The fastest way, if you really want to help Florida, South Carolina and Puerto Rico, is to donate financially,” Hannah said. “That's the quickest way to get those needs met for people on the ground. And it’s always good to get information out there.”

Hannah said monetary donations to the Salvation Army help get supplies to people affected by natural disasters. If people want to be involved on the ground, however, they need to complete training before shipping off with the organization.

Hannah said there may still be some opportunities to help with Hurricane Ian relief, but receiving training through the Salvation Army can help a person be prepared to help with the next natural disaster.

“We get you trained fairly quickly, depending on the availability,” Hannah said. “If there is still a need, we can potentially send you somewhere there is a need.”

Salvation Army volunteers currently deployed to affected areas have numerous duties, Hannah said.

“In the Florida area, they are having mobile feeding being done. You could be driving one of the campaigns to deliver — it could be cooking meals, it could be storing those meals,” Hannah said. “Primarily, it's based on what the need is.”

Hannah said crews from the Salvation Army will still be in the affected areas for an indeterminate amount of time, because natural disasters can have lengthy repercussions to infrastructure, which volunteers may also help with.

“We're there before the disaster, during the disaster and after the disaster,” Hannah said.

To make donations to or volunteer with the Salvation Army, call 1-800-sal-army.