Dozens of American Red Cross workers from Connecticut are helping with Florence relief efforts in the Carolinas.

On Monday, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal visited the Red Cross' Connecticut chapter in Farmington to get a report on the state's relief efforts in the wake of Florence.

News 12 met with Richard Hanratty, an Old Saybrook lawyer who says he was compelled to become a volunteer. He headed to Raleigh, North Carolina, to help with disaster relief for two weeks.

"I just want to help people and just basically do what I would expect someone else to do for me and my family," he said.

A total of 62 Connecticut residents are already helping those affected by Florence in North and South Carolina. In days, two more volunteers will drive an emergency response vehicle to North Carolina to distribute food and water.

Red Cross officials say about 20,000 people are in their shelters across the Southeast.