Local couple deploys to hurricane area

The Daily Inter Lake

John and Margie Donoghue, veteran volunteers for the Red Cross, got a phone call Friday deploying them to Harlingen, Texas, to prepare to serve victims of Hurricane Gustav.

John Donoghue said he and his wife, plus seven other Montanans, were among 400 volunteers requested from the district that includes Montana. The couple expected to leave this weekend for Harlingen, located on the southernmost tip of Texas.

"It's adjacent to the Mexican border and at the 29-foot elevation," Donoghue said. "The average temperature this time of year is 107."

Donoghue and his wife, both 76 of Lake Blaine, served Hurricane Katrina victims and have gone to many other locations for the Red Cross in the years since. They were dispatched to supervise mass food service.

They never know their exact assignment until they arrive on scene.

"We could be involved in the mobile kitchen," he said. "That's always part of the wonderment."

He said volunteers from Bozeman picked up the emergency response vehicle located in Kalispell and are driving it to Baton Rouge, La.

Since no one knows where the hurricane may hit, the Red Cross mobilizes volunteers to many areas within the potential strike area to prepare. Donoghue said it's crucial to have people, equipment and supplies close by before the disaster makes access impossible.

When they were left to prepare for Hurricane Ernesto in 2006, the Donoghues went first to Pensacola, moved to Orlando, then finally ended up in Tampa Bay.

"You can expect uncertainty," he said. "Things change so fast when you're dealing with a force of nature."