BRIEFLY.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Eugene men begin trip as hurricane responders

Two Eugene Red Cross volunteers left Sunday for the Gulf Coast region to respond to Hurricane Dennis.

Gailord Hamit and John Moser are driving a Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicle to a Red Cross staging area in Arkansas today, said Jenny Carrick, community relations director of the Oregon Pacific chapter of the Red Cross.

The vehicles - which resemble ambulances - are loaded with food, clean-up kits and other necessities to be delivered to the affected areas following the storm.

From Arkansas, Hamit and Moser will be deployed to either Florida, Alabama, Louisiana or Mississippi, Carrick said.

After Dennis slammed the Gulf Coast on Sunday, Red Cross workers provided services to those affected by the hurricane. This included providing shelter, meals, crisis counseling and other services.

The two Eugene men volunteered for the Red Cross shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Carrick said.

"Both of them responded to the cycle of hurricanes last year in the southeast and both of them know what they're doing," she said.

The two have also responded to floods and wildfires throughout the United States, Carrick said.