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Southern Arizona Red Cross volunteers head to Kentucky to help with disaster relief

Southern Arizona chapter of American Red Cross

Megan Meier

Ticket in hand, Emmett McGuire said goodbye to Tucson. He boarded a flight just 48-hours after <a label="tornadoes tore down buildings and took dozens of lives in Western Kentucky" class="rte2-style-brightspot-core-link-LinkRichTextElement" href="https://www.kgun9.com/news/national/ky-governor-says-he-expects-death-toll-from-tornadoes-to-exceed-100" data-cms-id="0000017d-af60-d457-ad7d-afe3f5cd0000" data-cms-href="https://www.kgun9.com/news/national/ky-governor-says-he-expects-death-toll-from-tornadoes-to-exceed-100" link-data="{"cms.site.owner":{"_ref":"00000166-21e3-db7f-a1fe-f3e78bbc0000","_type":"ae3387cc-b875-31b7-b82d-63fd8d758c20"},"cms.content.publishDate":1639352044306,"cms.content.publishUser":{"_ref":"00000176-21c0-d0ec-adf7-69de31fe0000","_type":"6aa69ae1-35be-30dc-87e9-410da9e1cdcc"},"cms.content.updateDate":1639352044306,"cms.content.updateUser":{"_ref":"00000176-21c0-d0ec-adf7-69de31fe0000","_type":"6aa69ae1-35be-30dc-87e9-410da9e1cdcc"},"link":{"attributes":[],"item":{"_ref":"0000017d-af60-d457-ad7d-afe3f5cd0000","_type":"4f8e492c-6f2f-390e-bc61-f176d3a37ab9"},"_id":"0000017d-b0fe-df0f-af7d-bfffef570001","_type":"c3f0009d-3dd9-3762-acac-88c3a292c6b2"},"linkText":"tornadoes tore down buildings and took dozens of lives in Western Kentucky","_id":"0000017d-b0fe-df0f-af7d-bfffef570000","_type":"809caec9-30e2-3666-8b71-b32ddbffc288"}">tornadoes tore down buildings and took dozens of lives in Western Kentucky</a>.

By: Megan Meier

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TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Ticket in hand, Emmett McGuire said goodbye to Tucson. He boarded a flight just 48-hours after tornadoes tore down buildings and took dozens of lives in Western Kentucky.

"Because I'm arriving late, I'll stay in a hotel the first night. The next day, I'll travel down with another volunteer to an area near Mayfield, Kentucky," said McGuire.

Mayfield is an area that the tornadoes hit the hardest. McGuire is a seasoned disaster volunteer with the Southern Arizona chapter of the American Red Cross and is ready to help.

"Right now, I'm assigned to what's called damage assessment. I'll be traveling out in the field and looking at structures. There is a software program. I'll enter data that will identify how much damage was there was to that building," said McGuire.

McGuire will stay in Kentucky for up to 14 days. Others from Tucson won't be far behind. More volunteers from Southern Arizona's American Red Cross chapter will follow and support those who have lost everything.

"It's heartbreaking," said McGuire.

The volunteers know tiring days are ahead, but McGuire said the hard work will be worth helping those who need it the most.

"It's the ability to help someone. To help a family, to help individuals. I've had some very rewarding experiences in the past. I'm sure this one is going to be the same way," said McGuire.

To learn how you can get involved in the Southern Arizona chapter of the American Red Cross, click here.

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