Arizona Red Cross seeks volunteers for Hurricane Milton cleanup efforts

PHOENIX - As Florida rebuilds after two devastating hurricanes, the Arizona Red Cross division says you can help. 

Volunteers are desperately needed for those who want to get involved. 

The demand is so high that the Arizona Red Cross changed their training format to get all of it done in a day, so volunteers can deploy next week. 

"Everything that’s in here will go into a shelter once it's open," said Dennis Fleshman of Mesa. 

Working shoulder to shoulder with other volunteers while assembling a cot, he's learning it's a skill he’ll use extensively over the next few weeks. 

For years, Dennis volunteered for the Red Cross, last deploying after Hurricane Katrina. But when he saw news coverage of Helene and Milton, he wanted to return to work nearly 20 years later.

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"I enjoy helping people, and I wanted to get back into it," he says. 

His labor is badly needed too. 

"We need as many people who are wanting to go," said Michael Young of the Florida Red Cross. 

Young says the demand for volunteers has never been greater.

"These two storms have just been devastating. Not only have they moved people, but they wiped out the infrastructure, too. So people don’t have places to go even if we could get them there," he said. 

That’s why they set up the expedited training class, to get people ready to go as soon as possible. 

Red Cross branches in Phoenix, Tucson, and Albuquerque are in the process of training 50 volunteers and more are wanted.

"I think we have 1,800 available positions," said Young. 

As for Dennis, he encourages anyone compelled to help to volunteer. 

"It’s worthwhile to get out there if they can do it. Everybody from whatever occupation, you can help people," he said.

No prior experience is necessary—but volunteers must be able to commit to a two-week deployment.