11:47 AM EDT on Wednesday, August 31, 2005

By 13News

Help is on the way from Hampton Roads for Hurricane Katrina victims.

Members of Virginia Task Force 2, the Va. Beach-based Urban Search and Rescue Team, loaded up equipment and search dogs onto buses early Tuesday. 80 people left around 3:00 a.m. to make the 11 hour trip to Mississippi to help with the devastation. The firefighters, engineers, physicians and a canine unit expect to be gone up to two weeks.

The team, part of the response by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, has deployed to the Pentagon in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attack, the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City, the collapse of a Wal-Mart in Petersburg in 1993 among many others.

FEMA teams from Fairfax and Montgomery County, MD also responded. They headed to Camp Shelby, Mississippi and were to get their orders from there.

Many people in the WVEC viewing area answering the call to respond.

LOCAL RESPONSE TO HURRICANE KATRINA:

US Coast Guard: Two C-130J Hercules airplanes from the Aircraft Project Office in Elizabeth City launched Monday. They are carrying emergency, response and communication equipment. The Hercules is a long-range surveillance and transport, fixed-wing aircraft that is used to perform a wide variety of tasks.

Navy: USS Bataan, USS Shreveport, USS Tortuga, USS Iwo Jima are on standby in case FEMA calls on them to assist in the Gulf region.

Va. Task Force 2: The Urban Search and Rescue team out of Va. Beach left by bus early Tuesday bound for Mississippi.

American Red Cross: Six volunteers were sent to staging area in Alabama.

Carl Wright of Portsmouth was one of them. She's been sent to seven disasters in the time she's been a volunteer. She'll end up in Montgomery, Alabama and be given marching orders from there. "There's always have a little bit of doubt that I might not be able to handle it, but I go with the idea that I'm gonna do the best I can for the clients I talk to. If there's any way I can possibly get them something better, I'm gonna do it and I'll fight for it," she said.

Dominion Virginia Power has sent 400 people from across the state to to the Ft. Lauderdale/Homestead areas helping to repair damage caused when Hurricane Katrina blew across the state. Some of them may be moved to Gulf areas and others may be sent in.

HURRICANE RELIEF DONATIONS:

Monetary donations are being accepted through the Red Cross Web site.

The Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia is part of America’s Second Harvest, the nation’s Food Bank Network. It's in need of food and funds to respond to Hurricane Katrina in states impacted by the disaster including Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida. “The fastest way people can help is by making a financial contribution,” said local CEO Joanne Batson.

Make donations through the Second Harvest Web site or by calling 800-771-2303. You can also donate directly at the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia Web site or by calling 627-6599.

Lowe's will match contributions to the American Red Cross up to $1 million. Donations can be made through the company's Web site.

Food Lion stores will take contributions at the checkout counter from September 1 - 24. The money goes to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund and will show up on your grocery receipt.