Courtesy Red Cross of Southeastern Virginia

Dan Carrington (facing) talks with Franklin residents in the aftermath of the 2006 flooding.

NORFOLK -- A Red Cross volunteer from Portsmouth will leave Friday to be in position for the U.S. arrival of Tropical Storm Gustav.

Dan Carrington will leave the Norfolk office of the Red Cross of Southeastern Virginia and go to a staging area in Montgomery, Alabama.

He’s taking the Emergency Response Vehicle and will help distribute food and supplies if needed.

Carrington is packing up for a three-week trip, officials stated.

He went to Franklin in October 2006 to help residents as the city dried out from flooding.

As of Thursday afternoon, Gustav was headed for Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. It's already killed 59 people in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Forecasters project the storm could hit the Gulf coast early next week, so New Orleans officials are already making plans in case evacuations and lockdowns are necessary.

At Naval Station Norfolk, the Navy is keeping a close eye on Gustav at its weather center.

Sailors and ships from Hampton Roads responded to help the Gulf states in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina three years ago.

Associated Press contributed to this story.