'People are in need': Red Cross deploys workers and volunteers to Mississippi disaster zone

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Tai Wong doesn't know what to expect on his second national deployment with the American Red Cross. He said each disaster is different, but he's ready for whatever comes his way.

"Nothing can prepare you for what you're going to see down there," said Wong, who serves as the regional communications manager with the Red Cross.

Wong is headed to a national disaster zone in the Mississippi Delta where an EF-4 Tornado left a path of destruction.

Preliminary reports show the deadly tornado stayed on the ground for more than an hour.

The hardest hit areas are in Rolling Fork, Mississippi where communities crumbled, homes flattened, and the town's water tower snapped like a toothpick

"When you walk into these situations, your expectation is, you know, you're going to run into devastation. You're going to run into people that really need that help and support," said Wong.

He will join two other Disaster Relief Workers and Red Cross Volunteers from Raleigh and Wilmington who are already on the ground helping storm survivors who have been left with nothing.

"People are in need right now and if I am in a position like I am right now that I can go out and help people and support them, then that's what I'm going to do," said Wong.

FEMA said in a briefing that 25 people were confirmed dead in Mississippi, 55 people were injured and 2,000 homes were damaged or destroyed.

Volunteers are already on the ground providing shelter, food, and emotional support.

"I think it's important when you do go to these disasters is you have to have that open mind and that open heart because you want to understand that these people have lost so much of their life from these types of disasters," Wong said.

Wong will leave on Monday along with four other volunteers, and he will be on the ground for at least two weeks.