Local Red Cross volunteers support Isaac relief efforts

The first wave of volunteers have deployed to Hattiesburg, Miss. from the Pikes Peak Chapter of the Red Cross. Hattiesburg is the location of one of 22 shelters opened by the Red Cross in advance of Tropical Storm Isaac.

Two volunteers drove an emergency response vehicle to Mississippi Sunday night, with the six remaining volunteers taking one of the last flights into the state before the airports are closed in advance of the storm.

“Initially, it’s chaos and long hours. We try and get eight-hour shifts, but we never have enough help initially. So I’m anticipating at least 12 hours on, 12 hours off, and until we have some more relief come in, it’ll probably be a seven-day-a-week job,” said Lovena Porter, a registered nurse and Red Cross volunteer.

Porter said she has served with the Red Cross for 10 years and has volunteered during several natural disasters, including hurricanes Gustav and Ike, as well as the High Park and Waldo Canyon fires.

“A registered nurse should be on-site because you never know what the evacuees are going to have as far as health care problems when they enter the shelter,” said Porter.

According to Porter, deployments are typically three weeks in duration. If more support is needed, a second wave will be deployed to relieve the original crew at that three-week point.

The Pikes Peak Chapter is supplying one of the 150 emergency response vehicles from around the country that are responding to the potential disaster.

According to the Red Cross, there are 1,500 disaster workers deployed across the Gulf Coast.