Joe and Glenda Mertes of Marietta knew what they had to do when they heard about the devastation in the Northeast from Hurricane Sandy.
The Red Cross volunteers are no stranger to disasters, having first helped with relief efforts six years ago when tornadoes struck in south Georgia.
On Tuesday, they were at Atlanta Red Cross headquarters on Monroe Drive preparing to leave for Ashburn, Va., which is in one of the states declared federal disaster areas. They were accompanying two food trucks carrying meals prepared by local kitchens and caterers, and MREs, or meals ready to eat.
“They really enjoy having someone in there helping them,” Joe Mertes said of local relief efforts in disaster areas. “We can’t cover everybody, but we’re going to do the best we can.”
The Red Cross volunteers are part of a national mobilization of relief efforts for the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. The Mertes were among more than 1,300 Red Cross workers and volunteers headed to the disaster area.
At the National Red Cross headquarters in Washington on Tuesday, President Barack Obama warned of more flooding as the remnants of Sandy continued to dump rain on the region.
“My message to governors and mayors and through them the communities hit so hard, we’re going to do everything we can to get resources to you and make sure any unmet need is responded to as soon as possible,” Obama said.
As of Monday, the Red Cross said it had provided shelters to nearly 11,000 people in 258 facilities in 16 states.
Joe and Glenda Mertes were in Hattiesburg, Miss., in August after Hurricane Irene came ashore. When their work is done in Virginia, they said they will be prepared to be deployed to other areas hard-hit by Sandy.
Joe Mertes said husband-and-wife teams benefit the Red Cross.
“Makes it easier to get two people with one phone call,” Mertes said.
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