GRAND RAPIDS (WKZO AM/FM) — As Hurricane Florence approaches the U.S. Coast from the East, and a couple of million residents are fleeing inland to get out of its way, volunteers and supplies are heading in from the west.
National Hurricane Center Deputy Director Ed Rappaport says this is a monster that could dump up to 35-inches of rain in some locations.
Michigan Red Cross Chapters have already dispatched 30 volunteers to staging centers in the Carolinas and sent an Emergency Response Vehicle from West Michigan as they prepare for relief efforts, open shelters to house evacuees and gear up for the clean-up efforts.
Volunteers typically spend two weeks in the disaster zones and are then rotated out and replaced with volunteers trained for the next phase of the relief effort.
I & M Electric has 200 members of their forestry and line crews on stand-by to move into the Carolinas and restore power.
Consumers and DTE are reportedly waiting for their call, if needed.
