NC Red Cross volunteers assisting with winter storm recovery in Texas

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Dennis Eason is a Red Cross volunteer from Smithfield with more than 20 years of experience as a firefighter, as well as more recent work with disaster relief.

"Cause I was down in Louisiana twice and Mississippi, when the hurricanes came through," he said.

Now he's saddling up to assist people in Texas as they recover from the snow and ice that paralyzed their state.

"I expect it'll be a whole lot colder and a whole lot whiter when I get there," said Eason, referring to conditions people don't see where he lives now. "No, we sure don't. I think the last big snow was in the 80s that I remember."

"It's gonna be uncharted territory for some of our volunteers," said Cally Edwards of the American Red Cross in Raleigh. "But they have hearts of gold that are gonna keep them warm, keep them helping people. Whatever comes, the Red Cross and our partners will manage the storm together."

Eason is flying out of RDU and after landing in Texas, he'll get right to work. "Driving a 26 foot box truck, delivering food, distributing it out. Then when that's done, whatever else they need me to do. I'm flexible."

For now, he's the only volunteer traveling from the Raleigh area to assist Red Cross workers already on the ground in Texas.

"We may have other volunteers that are asked to support. We may have other volunteers that help virtually, as well," said Edwards.

Eason is taking extra clothing to keep warm if he's in an area where electric service remains out. He's ready to spend long hours of work helping Texans before returning home to his wife.

"They told me at least two weeks, so Mar. 7 I should be coming back."