Our top story , the rain has not stopped in Houston and forecasters say a total of 50 inches of rain could fall on the city by the end the week more than 2000 people have been rescued and Texas officials say the storm will eventually drive 30,000 people into shelters. The Red Cross is among the agencies pitching in to help victims of Harvey. Joining me is Victor Roosen . Victor, welcome to the program. Thank you. I have heard people say the devastation from Harvey is like nothing they have ever seen before. How would you compare it to previous national disasters ? This is really unprecedented for the Red Cross. We have never quite seen the level and size of a disaster as hurricane Harvey. That is because of the wide area that has been affected? It is. It is not only the white area but it is everywhere across the entire landscape. It is not an isolated area. Is the duration something that is unprecedented? Usually you see a storm come in and in a day, possibly a day and half, everything is over and everybody knows the devastation. It is still happening. It is still happening. Our response and the response of this disaster is very -- it is evolving. It looks like the rain will continue through Wednesday and it continues to soak the same area and it expands into new areas and many areas have not seen lighting in the past. They were not prepared for. We have a lot to people that are heartbreaking, stranded in homes and cars. How many volunteers do you have from the local chapter in Texas right now expect in Texas? Five at the moment. We do have 20 virtual caseworkers prepared. We will do virtual casework from here and also virtual mapping and probably 10 volunteers and we have 10 call centers and virtual workers. I want to ask you more about the virtual volunteers any minute. For those people from San Diego who are in the Texas area, have they told you what they have seen ? We have not been in contact. Communication is difficult at this point. I think there are three people stuck in airports trying to get there. It is a problem. Are there enough supplies in Texas? Do you hear from the Red Cross in Texas? Are there enough so applies to provide the necessary assistance? We have 20 truckloads of supplies for food, blankets and etc. for 28,000 people on the ground. And between today and tomorrow, we will have another shipment for at least an additional 22,000 people. Those supplies will be there. We are committed to make sure we have the supplies. The problem is getting the people to the shelters and making sure the shelters are able to have access. In other words, people are surrounded by water. I want to ask you more about the virtual volunteers. You were talking about people who are here, who were on the phones trying to take some of the pressure off the people in Texas. Is that right ? Absolutely. Anyone can call and find out where our services are. Those lines have absolutely been overwhelmed due to the people in Texas. Through technology, they are able to plug into the system and answer phones locally and help people from here. Do you know how the Red Cross is preparing for this second round of flooding that we hear is coming to the water Houston area? How does that affect ongoing relief efforts? It is very complex. We work closely with the governmental agencies such as the local emergency management and FEMA to make sure we are coordinating our efforts and we are trying to get ahead of it and set up shelters in front of the rain. You know, that is proving difficult. We are doing our best to make sure everybody is taken care of and getting to them. Probably being prepared before they have to evacuate. Yes, you are right. The storm is moving slowly to the east and quite fearful for Louisiana as well as they just recovered from some flooding and it will start raining in those same areas. We are preparing Louisiana at the same time as we are so Orting Texas. Do you expect to send more volunteers to either those regions from San Diego ? We feel comfortable that we have enough volunteers and we have identified them to cover disasters like a wildfire. Everyone else is going to be deployed to Texas or Louisiana. For those who want to help, where can they go to get more information on how to help ? The best help is donations or volunteering. If you would like to volunteer or provide a donation to help the people in Texas, go to www.RedCross.org or you can donate $10. I have been speaking with Victor Roosen . Victor, thank you for your time. Thank you for the opportunity. I appreciate it.
A San Diego-based medical response team and American Red Cross volunteers traveled to Texas Friday as Hurricane Harvey bears down on the state.
The 48-member Disaster Medical Assistance Team CA-4 includes doctors, nurses, pharmacy personnel, paramedics and specialists in security, communication and logistics.
"Many of the issues that may result from Hurricane Harvey can already be anticipated — massive flooding will require medical care for thousands of evacuees, and hospitals may be in the flood zone and might require evacuation," said Dr. Jake Jacoby, the team leader. "We are honored to be selected to stage for this serious situation, especially if the hurricane stalls when it is over both land and water."
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DMAT CA-4 is part of the federally coordinated healthcare system under the National Disaster Medical System. They will meet with other federal resources to be ready for assignments in patient care, evacuations, and medical services, they said.
Outer bands of Hurricane Harvey lashed the Texas coast near Corpus Christi during the day, with landfall imminent.
The storm strengthened to a Category 4 on a scale of 1-5 and was expected to linger in the region for a couple of days, possibly bringing torrential rains to the region into the middle of next week.
The San Diego and Imperial counties chapter of the American Red Cross said three volunteers have deployed to Texas, and more deployments are possible in the coming days.
Red Cross volunteers assist with relief efforts including feeding and sheltering storm victims, damage assessment, casework and recovery assistance.
A response team that includes the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department personnel has not been called up, according to a spokeswoman. Two Chula Vista firefighters are being deployed, however, according to the city.
From Coast Guard Sector San Diego, a helicopter and two crews were sent to aid in rescue missions.
