LINCOLN, Neb. (KMTV) - As people leave their homes in droves down in Texas to escape Hurricane Harvey’s wrath, teams from Nebraska are heading towards the storm.
The regional American Red Cross confirms it sent a team of a dozen disaster relief workers down south starting Wednesday, according to Rachelle Lipker , the executive director which serves central and western Nebraska American Red Cross.
Currently, there are 50 volunteers for standby if needed for Harvey.
In Lincoln, the organization trained about 20 people to become volunteers on Friday, says Jill Neeman, also a volunteer who’s been deployed around the country for aid.
Afterwards, they could be deployed within the next coming days, Neeman says – in what the National Hurricane Center says its expecting "catastrophic flooding."
The American Red Cross For The Kansas,Nebraska And Southwest Iowa Region is training volunteers for not only the present disaster but also future ones.
The group is training on their new mobile data collection app, she said through a Skype interview.
Most often, the Red Cross is known for providing shelter, water and food, but training also includes long term services, especially for a threat like Harvey which is predicted to bring massive rain fall, strong wind gusts and flooding and possibly linger in the Gulf of Mexico for days.
We're making sure to prepare them for those services like mental health services, health services to help with replacing medication, Neeman says.
While Nebraskans are clearly out of this threat , the aid group is using the hurricane as a reminder to be ready for any severe weather.
If you'd like to donate money or learn how to become a volunteer, click here.
