St. Louis Volunteers Ready To Help Hurricane Recovery

While the east coast waits for Hurricane Earl's arrival, so will some Red Cross volunteers and staff from St. Louis. They've been mobilized for a mission. One volunteer is already in North Carolina, and another one will leave for New England tomorrow. Many more are ready for this storm and the others that are already on their way.

"We have a couple days notice before landfall I am being deployed to Rhode Island," says Red Cross staff member Dale Chambers. He has never been to the Ocean State but despite not knowing his surroundings he plans to fit right in because as a red cross volunteer the focus is never on the location instead on the mission.

"When they do arrive on a scene no matter where they end up who they are working with they have a very good idea what their job is going to be and how to do that job," says Mary Anderson of the Red Cross. This job has Chambers hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.


"Hopefully we can get ahead of this and make sure everything is in place to protect people and property," he says, "it could be the hurricane comes right over the area it could be we could be there for a couple of days ad have it pass by us and we get little more than just a dusting of rain."

Despite Earl's increase in size and severity early Thursday it is already weakening and may spin away from the Eastern Seaboard which doesn't mean it is time to relax at the Red Cross.

"We kind of know where Earl is headed so we are preparing for the next one and the one after that and the one after that," says Anderson.

Fiona and Gaston are blossoming in the Atlantic as is the potential for more St. Louisans needed wherever a disaster may strike or threaten.

"We kind of know where Earl is headed so we are preparing for the next one and the one after that and the one after that," says Anderson, "we are constantly in motion once one starts we are just in motion until the end of hurricane season."

Earl this time maybe Fiona or Gaston next, the names changes the preparation doesn't.

"If we can get ahead of this storm and this disaster the more likely that disaster will actually go smoothly in the recovery stage," says Chambers, "hopefully we get in pull a couple of shifts and watch it stay out in the Atlantic and come back home."