ST. LOUIS — A Red Cross volunteer from the St. Louis area will hit the road Tuesday night and head to Nashville.
Dennis Grooms is planning to help those affected by the deadly tornadoes in Nashville and Middle Tennessee that left dozens of people dead.
Grooms has been a volunteer with the Red Cross for nearly five years.
“I just like helping people,” he told 5 On Your Side.
And during that short time, he’s seen a lot.
“Anywhere we’ve had any flooding, natural disasters, I’ve been on quite a few of them,” he said.
The Winfield-Foley firefighter and EMT has been on the front lines of more than 40 devastating disasters, including horrific hurricanes in Mexico, unforgettable floods in Florida and ravaging wildfires in California.
“None of them are exactly the same because you’re dealing with separate, individual folks,” he explained.
Now, the 55-year-old volunteer is about to help tornado victims in Nashville.
“We’re just getting everything set up down there. So, they always start out kind of rough,” he explained Tuesday evening, within 17 hours of the tornadoes hitting.
“Rough” because he knows when he sees the massive destruction up close, it will be difficult to take in.
“It’s a shame. It really tugs at your heartstrings,” Grooms said.
During their disaster relief effort, Grooms and fellow volunteers will roll up their sleeves and work 12-hour days. They’ll go to shelters and help the many people who no longer have homes.
“We’ll be taking care of them. We’ll be seeing to their medical needs and other types of needs,” he explained.
They’ll also pass out blankets and care kits, soap, shaving lotion and just about every other daily necessity we take for granted.
But also, a little something to make the young victims feel a little more comforted.
“We have teddy bears that we give out to the children,” Grooms added.
Grooms expects to be in Nashville for at least two weeks. He admitted this assignment will be tough emotionally, but he’s ready for it.
“I like giving back to the community,” he said.
Grooms said each time he returns home to St. Louis after completing a disaster relief effort, he’s more humbled and thankful for his family.