Hurricane Dorian. Image courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

As one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record crawls towards the country’s southeastern coast, a large local bank has preemptively donated to relief efforts.

Webster Bank announced it will donate $30,000 to the American Red Cross to support disaster recovery efforts for communities that may be affected by Hurricane Dorian.

“Our thoughts are with the communities in Florida, and throughout the southeastern United States, as they prepare for Hurricane Dorian,” Harriet Munrett Wolfe, executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary, said in a statement. “Webster has a long history of supporting the communities we serve, especially in times of disaster; it’s indicative of our core values. We’re also fortunate to have our American Red Cross partners at the ready to assist,” she added.

The donation will assist four American Red Cross chapters in Connecticut/Rhode Island and Massachusetts as they begin to deploy teams to help those in the affected areas. In addition, Webster will make a donation to the American Red Cross in the Wisconsin area through its HSA Bank division, headquartered in Milwaukee.