Red Cross Volunteers Head to Storm Site ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) - As the nation commemorates the disastrous hurricane that struck the Gulf Coast three years ago today, 3,000 volunteers are converging for another storm.

Rochester's chapter of the Red Cross is contributing to the Hurricane Gustav pre-disaster effort. Friday morning, 11 volunteers deployed to Baton Rouge and Shreveport, Louisiana from the Greater Rochester International Airport. And two other local volunteers were already on their way to Hattiesburg, Mississippi with an emergency response vehicle.

Nadine Krimow is with the Red Cross of Greater Rochester. She says the area's contribution stacks up well against that made by other areas.

"It's a pretty considerable amount of assistance that we're providing. I was advised that this is a pretty decent sized deployment for this hurricane ... Not that you compare disasters by any means, because they are obviously very individual and unique in their own, but apparently this is about the size of deployments that they did in the first couple of days to get some help down there for Katrina."

Volunteers agreed to be available for two to three weeks. Krimow says the cost of supporting Rochester's volunteers at the pre-disaster site is being born by the national Red Cross.

The majority of volunteers will help with feeding operations. Two volunteers will help with emergency shelter operations, one volunteer will assist with mental health needs, and another will do damage assessment.

Krimow she says if the storm hits and additional local volunteers deploy, the agency will be looking for more help, to take up the duties that Gulf Coast-bound volunteers had to leave. © Copyright 2009, WXXI