By ALEXIS ZOTOS
6 News Reporter
KNOXVILLE (WATE) - As the Gulf region prepares for the heavy rain, storm surge and strong winds of Isaac, the Knoxville Red Cross is deploying volunteers to the area.
Red Cross shelter manager Michael Hedgecoth found out Monday he's heading down to Mississippi to help open shelters for storm victims.
A total of 15 million people are under warnings from Isaac. The latest computer models show nine tracks the storm could take.
"The storm has changed its course a bit so we're changing our course as well," explained Regional Emergency Services Director Mary Beth Birge.
Hedgecoth says when hurricane season approaches, he's always packed and ready to go in case they deploy him. "I always have an emergency backpack ready to go. It's what we call a 24-hour deployment pack," he said.
He was sent to help during Hurricane Katrina and says when the Red Cross calls, Hedgecoth stays as long as he's needed.
"You have to make that commitment when you do this kind of thing. You have to give the Red Cross that commitment you're going to be there for as long as you need to be there," he said.
The Knoxville chapter is sending between 20-30 volunteers to the Gulf, but that number could change as the storm does.
"We never know. It depends on how many people are available in those local areas as well and how hard the damage is," Birge said.
She says it's a matter of staying on top of where the most need is so they can deploy the necessary volunteers. "You never know what tomorrow's going to bring in a disaster. It's very fluid. They might start in Louisiana and end up in Arkansas."
"I always have an emergency backpack ready to go. It's what we call a 24-hour deployment pack," Michael Hedgecoth said.
