Local Red Cross volunteers ready to travel
Posted at: 10/29/2012 9:27 PM
| Updated at: 10/29/2012 10:16 PM
By: Adam Camp, KOB Eyewitness News
Super storm Sandy hit New Jersey on Monday evening. The coalescing of weather fronts is making it a storm of its own kind. Over 3,000 people have made their way to Red Cross shelters in the nine states impacted. One volunteer from New Mexico is already serving at a shelter in New York.
C.J. Grove is one of six other volunteers from New Mexico, prepared to fly out to whichever state needs her.
"My bags are packed, I'm ready to go. I'm just sitting around waiting for that phone call to make my arrangements to fly out," Grove said.
She already served at a Red Cross shelter in Mississippi during Hurricane Isaac this summer. She said that experience goes a long way in preparing her for this challenge.
"Being out on deployment makes you very compassionate toward these people because you've lived through this with people before, so you know what it's like for them," she said.
Grove could be called out for Sandy relief as early as Friday. She said another challenge is preparing for the various weather fronts she could face, from freezing snow to flooding.
"Yeah, you really have to pack for everything. And being in the shelter, you're also going to be out in the elements, carrying in the supplies," she said.
Grove is not so concerned about what she faces if she gets the call out to a shelter, but there is tension about the flight over because of the turbulent weather.
"It's a lot of anxiety. You never know what you're going to face. You get nervous, and just the flying, at times, can be pretty rough, just because you're flying into weather," she said.
But Grove hoped to get the call from the Red Cross and help another area of the country hit by a weather disaster.
"One of my favorite things to do is meet new people and help them. And to just go out there and know that I can be a shoulder for them to cry on," she said.
The Red Cross is asking for money to be donated, not supplies. The money can be directly sent to Red Cross centers in the states impacted. The money will be used to buy supplies locally from those areas.
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