Tulsa Red Cross sends more volunteers east

TULSA - Things are slowly returning to normal in parts of New York City.

More commuter trains arrived in the city early Monday and more subway stations are open.

But thousands are still without power and thousands more are still homeless across the region.

The Tulsa Red Cross sent two more volunteers to the area Monday morning.

2NEWS caught up with volunteer Rick Umstead just before his plane took off from Tulsa International at 6 a.m.

"Friday, there were 17,000 people still in shelters, there were 93 shelters open in the metropolitan New York area to house all these people and that's why there is a dire need for people to go up and help," Umstead said.

So far, the Tulsa Red Cross has sent 20 volunteers to help with recovery efforts along the east coast.

HOW TO HELP

Financial donations help the Red Cross provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance to those affected by disasters like Hurricane Sandy. To donate, people can visit the Red Cross website , call 1-800-RED-CROSS, or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Contributions may also be sent to someone’s local Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013.