LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - The Panhandle Plains Chapter of the American Red Cross is asking for volunteers who are willing to travel to support emergency shelters. The appeal is urgent now, because of the agency's assistance provided to those displaced by Hurricane Helene.

Qualified volunteers must complete a four-hour training, background screening and must be able to commit to a two-week deployment.

In emergency shelters, Red Cross disaster volunteers provide people with a safe place to stay, necessities like food and water, and critical services like mental health support and basic health services such as replacing lost medications or medical equipment.

As of Monday, more than 900 Red Cross volunteers are on the ground in areas affected by the hurricane, dispatched from across the United States.

HOW TO HELP Beyond becoming a Red Cross volunteer, people can help in other ways too following Helene: