ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) – From her Baton Rouge hotel room, Pittsford native Martha Laros is looking forward to meeting and helping people who need it.

“It’s amazing, the little things in a situation like this that can calm them down or remind them of a warm feeling they’ve had. You make a total instant connection to that person,” Laros said. “Right now we cannot get our cars down to the places where we need to set up our shelters.”

States along the western Gulf Coast are still recovering from Hurricane Laura. Five Red Cross volunteers from the Rochester area are helping out, some in-person, others virtually, one Red Cross spokesman told News 8.

Laros is no stranger to helping out in these situations, she’s been volunteering with the Red Cross since Hurricane Katrina. Because of COVID-19, lending a hand this time around will be different than anything in previous years.

“You’re used to seeing a Red Cross shelter in a big arena, you know, with cots, just rows and rows of cots,” Laros said. “We can’t do that now.”

Laros looks forward to helping out in shelters: one-on-one interactions helping folks who need assistance most.

“You make a total instant connection to that person, and it’s very rewarding for me and I think it means a lot to them, too. So I’m looking forward to that.”