Londonderry man among Dorian volunteers

LONDONDERRY — A Londonderry man is among a team of American Red Cross volunteers heading south this week to support people in the path of Hurricane Dorian.

Volunteers from the New Hampshire and Vermont region, including Mark Critz of Londonderry, will deploy to North and South Carolina as the storm sets its sights on the southeast coast this week.

Critz is a logistics facilities supervisor and will head south to Columbia, South Carolina to support Red Cross shelters and their organization and operation for anyone displaced by the storm.

He said he may be deployed for about two weeks.

For Critz, it's been a year and a half of supporting the Red Cross, volunteering as a regional facility lead for the New Hampshire and Vermont Red Cross regions.

Critz said he was deployed last year to North Carolina to support storm victims after Hurricane Florence.

In a statement, the American Red Cross said millions of people could be impacted by Hurricane Dorian this week with wind, rain, flooding and high storm surges along the eastern coast.

As the Red Cross mobilizes hundreds of volunteers, 110 emergency response vehicles and 104 tractor trailer loads full of relief supplies, the Red Cross has also pre-positioned additional blood products and stocked many of hospitals to capacity in areas of the Southeast likely to be impacted by the storm, the statement said.

For Critz, it's important to be able to volunteer for this important mission.

"I think it's very important to me to use my background and help other people out," he said. "It makes me feel fulfilled to know I'm helping."

Anyone wishing to support the Red Cross efforts during Hurricane Dorian can visit redcross.org or call 1-800-REDCROSS.