GREENSBORO, N.C. — The Salvation Army in Greensboro is prepped and ready to go to help anyone impacted by Hurricane Ian.
Greensboro Salvation Army Corps Officer Captain Chris Raymer said they began packing their disaster mobile unit Monday.
"We'll do cold cut sandwiches and snacks, and prepared meals are ready," Raymer said.
He said he's just waiting on that phone call to head out to any of the areas heavily impacted by the hurricane.
"If they say, we need you to take it to South Carolina, Georgia, it could be Florida, we will be on the road and ready to go," he said.
Raymer said if deployed, two people will take the 'canteen' - also known as the disaster mobile unit - to an impacted area. They can serve up to 300 meals a day using the truck.
"We'll send it into neighborhoods, we'll drive it if we need it near the beach, we can wherever it is that they need is the greatest - that’s where we will serve," he said.
Right now, the canteen is filled with items like utensils, plastic ware, and first aid kits. Once on the road, they'll add perishable items.
Along with serving food, they'll be able to provide emotional support to families in need.
"A lot can go into a disaster. Definitely, God forbid if someone loses a loved one, we want to be there for those times we want to be able to walk with them during those times, pray with them," Raymer said.
Raymer said typically a crew is at an impacted area for 14 days, but depending on the severity, it can be longer.
"We have the training under our belt to be able to go into the situations and serve the most vulnerable to serve the most needy during that time and it means the world that God gives us this opportunity to do that," he said.
Raymer said during hurricane season, many people want to give out physical items like clothes. While appreciated, he said the best thing to do is give a financial donation.
Red Cross Greater Carolinas is also on standby.
They said in a statement:
“Right now, we do not have any volunteers scheduled to deploy to Florida. Our region stands ready to support those in the path of Hurricane Ian who might be impacted by the storm.
In the coming days, our local volunteers may be called upon to support in Florida and other parts of the Southeast, including South Carolina and Georgia."