Locally, nine Red Cross Disaster Response volunteers will be on their way to various points along the East Coast. The locally housed Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV) is also being deployed to support the operation as the East Coast braces for the potential of a devastating storm.

The volunteers will serve in a variety of capacities including mass sheltering, mass feeding, ERV drivers and staff relations which provides Human Relations support to volunteers on the operation. All other trained local volunteers are on stand by and prepared to travel. Volunteers will be pre-positioned to ensure the fastest response possible.

The American Red Cross, through a rigorous, nation-wide training regime, ensures that every disaster volunteer we send has the tools and skills to help those that may be impacted by Hurricane Sandy. Local volunteers deployed to support these operations will be working with Red Cross chapters and volunteers from the affected states to ensure that those who have been affected by this storm can seek shelter and food in the immediate aftermath

All the disaster assistance that will be provided following the hurricane is a free gift of the American people. The Red Cross relies on the generosity of the American public to provide these services and we urge you to consider making a gift at this time to support our disaster relief efforts. Please call 1-800-RED-CROSS, visit www.redcross.org, or stop in at your nearest Red Cross office to make your donation.

The Red Cross is also shipping blood products to states which will be hit by Sandy. Already, Hurricane Sandy has caused the cancellation of about 100 Red Cross blood drives in 11 states along the East Coast.