Butler County agencies responding to Hurricane Helene
While Hurricane Helene spared Butler County and the northeast United States as a whole, other parts of the country were hit hard.
As of Monday evening, at least 133 people have died as a result of the storm’s destruction, which also caused billions of dollars in property damage.
In the storm’s aftermath, multiple agencies from Butler County, from charitable organizations to small businesses with roots in the Deep South, have stepped up to offer assistance to those who have been left homeless and injured.
Krill Recycling, a family-owned scrap metal recycling company based in Clearfield Township, said on social media it is sending trucks to Tennessee and other surrounding states packed with vital supplies.
The company said Tennessee “holds a special place in our hearts,” and put out a call for donations of supplies such as paper towels, non-electric can openers, soap, and jugs of water. Trucks will leave for the south over the weekend.
“We frequently visit the area,” said co-owner Amanda Krill. “We’ve taken out children down, and we also take our employees down for the Fourth of July for a company trip.”
To ask how you can donate, call Amanda Krill at 724-256-9044.
The Salvation Army of Western Pennsylvania, which includes a branch in Butler, delivered eight pallets of supplies to Philadelphia on Friday, Sept. 27, to join other caches of emergency supplies being shipped to hard-hit areas.
The local Salvation Army also has dispatched disaster relief experts into the Deep South to assist the relief effort.
“There will be more deployments in two weeks, as this will be a long relief effort,” said Nicole Harrell, marketing director for the local Salvation Army. “The Salvation Army will continue to be there long after these coming weeks. The best way people can support the efforts is through financial donations.”
Pennsylvania has deployed members of both the state Incident Management Team and the state Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team to Avery County, North Carolina, to provide assistance. This has been made possible through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, an agreement between all U.S. states and territories to share resources in the event of a disaster.
In addition, 45 members of Pennsylvania-Task Force 1 were deployed to Marion, N.C. to assist in search efforts.
“The destruction and loss of life caused by Hurricane Helene in the Southeast is devastating,” said Gov. Josh Shapiro. “I've deployed resources from PEMA and our National Guard. I thank these brave and dedicated Pennsylvanians for doing their part to help their fellow Americans.”
Gerry Shields-Travis of the Southwest Pennsylvania branch of American Red Cross, said the most effective act of charity one can provide right now is to give money instead of sending items straight to the affected areas.
“When you donate money, then it’s able to target areas where it’s needed, versus just sending a whole bunch of stuff there where you don’t know who could use it,” Shields-Travis said. “There’s no storage space right now. It’s flooded.”
