9/13/18 – 5:03 A.M.

A Rawson man will go to North Carolina to help with Hurricane Florence recovery efforts. Steve Mahler will deploy to Durham, North Carolina to work with a Red Cross disaster assessment team. Todd James is the executive director of the American Red Cross North Central Ohio Chapter and says much of the volunteer effort will likely focus on setting up and running shelters.

James says the Red Cross may open shelters on its own or may provide support and expertise at shelters already established.

Forecasters expect Hurricane Florence to make landfall Friday. Florence is now a Category 2 storm but is still packing dangerous winds of 110 miles per hour. The storm surge along the coast could reach up to 13 feet.

MORE: The Courier