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HOUSTON - Help from Houston, as well as other parts of Texas and Louisiana are either already on the ground or will soon be deployed to Florida. Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall Wednesday night and some organizations are sharing what their efforts look like ahead of time.
Paul Blackburn, a customer service manager with Entergy Texas is in Jacksonville, Florida and talked with FOX 26 about their efforts, sending over 270 resources to florida.
Two hundred and fifty are already in Jacksonville, about 25 additional resources are on the way, according to Blackburn.
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Blackburn says once they can assess the damage, a power restoration estimate will be provided. It could take a week or more. Adding it was important for them to go because if rolls were reversed, Florida companies would come to Texas to help during a major storm.
Fox 26 also spoke with the American Red Cross - Greater Houston Area Chapter about their efforts.
Vanessa Valdez, spokesperson for the American Red Cross, says that they have sent several volunteers to Tallahassee to be on standby.
Valdez says The Red Cross has 40 people deployed in Florida, North Carolina, and Georgia from Hurricane Helene, so if resources need to be pulled they can do so.
RELATED: Milton evacuations: Atlanta Motor Speedway, other Georgia locations opening to evacuees
The Red Cross also told Fox 26 they are sending emergency response vehicles from Houston to feed people, hand out emergency supplies, and inform those impacted by Milton about the financial resources available.
The Red Cross says right now the Houston community can help by volunteering. Training only takes a day.
However, if you cannot volunteer, The Red Cross is asking that you make a monetary donation.
Preparations in Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton
ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 07: Traffic is heavy as thousands evacuate ahead of Hurricane Milton as it churns in the Gulf of Mexico on October 07, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Florida. Milton, which comes on heels of the destructive Hurricane Helene, has strengthened to a Category 5 storm as it approaches Florida’s Gulf Coast near St. Petersburg and Tampa, where it is projected to make landfall Wednesday. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Locals and tourists get off the Ultramar company ship that arrives in Cancun ahead of Hurricane Milton's arrival in Cancun, Quintana Roo State, Mexico, on October 7, 2024. Hurricane Milton exploded in strength Monday to become a potentially catastrophic Category 5 storm bound for Florida, threatening the US state with a second ferocious storm in as many weeks. Milton, which is also forecast to graze Mexico's Yucatan peninsula as it churns eastward, rapidly intensified to the highest category on a scale of five, triggering evacuation orders and alarms about a life-threatening storm surge in major population centers, including Tampa Bay. (Photo by ELIZABETH RUIZ / AFP) (Photo by ELIZABETH RUIZ/AFP via Getty Images) Employees move items to protected areas at Zoo Tampa ahead of Hurricane Milton's expected landfall in the middle of this week on October 7, 2024 in Tampa, Florida. In the midst of this turmoil, Tiffany Burns is preparing a different kind of evacuation. The 41-year-old, director of the Tampa Zoo's animal program, oversees where the zoo's guests - elephants, rhinos, orangutans, etc. - will be spending the storm. The zoo has several hurricane-proof buildings where it plans to move all of its animals in the next few hours. "We hope they suffer as little stress as possible, that's always our goal," Burns explains. In a small enclosure, two zookeepers lure a porcupine into a cage by feeding it pieces of carrot and strawberry. Once the animal is enclosed, they carefully lift it into a golf cart and take it under cover. (Photo by Bryan R. SMITH / AFP) (Photo by BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images) Residents of Orange County, Florida, collect sandbags for free to protect themselves from Hurricane Milton, which is expected this week. The images are captured at Osceola Heritage Park in Orange County, Florida, on October 8, 2023. (Photo by Ronaldo Silva/NurPhoto via Getty Images) Residents of Orange County, Florida, collect sandbags for free to protect themselves from Hurricane Milton, which is expected this week. The images are captured at Osceola Heritage Park in Orange County, Florida, on October 8, 2023. (Photo by Ronaldo Silva/NurPhoto via Getty Images)