Tropical Storm Harvey: 6 local Red Cross members to assist

Emergency officials work at the State Operations Center in Austin in preparation for Hurricane Harvey on Friday, Aug. 25, 2017.    Conditions deteriorated Friday along the Texas Gulf Coast as Hurricane Harvey strengthened and crawled toward the state, with forecasters warning that evacuations and preparations "should be rushed to completion." (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

Credit: Jay Janner

Credit: Jay Janner

Emergency officials work at the State Operations Center in Austin in preparation for Hurricane Harvey on Friday, Aug. 25, 2017. Conditions deteriorated Friday along the Texas Gulf Coast as Hurricane Harvey strengthened and crawled toward the state, with forecasters warning that evacuations and preparations "should be rushed to completion." (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

Six local volunteers with the Dayton Area Chapter of the American Red Cross are travelling to Texas in preparation of Tropical Storm Harvey making landfall this weekend.

Many of the volunteers have already left for the Lone Star State, but one is expected to leave sometime today or tomorrow, according to a spokesman.

“I’m getting ready to deploy to Houston. My job function is going to be damage assessment. I’m going to actually be surveying the area,” said Gary Clark, a volunteer from Dayton.  “[I’ll be] seeing how bad the devastation is and report to the Red Cross what I find, so they can determine where to send resources and the number of people who are affected.”

Nationally, the American Red Cross is preparing a large response for Tropical Storm Harvey, which could bring significant rainfall to Texas.

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"As this hurricane strengthens, so does the threat to people in its path," says Cory Paul, Executive Director of the Dayton Area Chapter. "This has the potential to become a very dangerous storm, and the region could see life-threatening flooding as it moves through. Our mission is to help alleviate the suffering caused by these disasters, and we wouldn't be able to do that as successfully without our incredible volunteers who give freely of their time and leave their families in an effort to help those who are suffering."

All the services and goods are provided by the Red Cross free to those in need.

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