NC man drives truck 'Goliath' through storm to help with Hurricane Laura water rescues

The Red Cross of Eastern North Carolina said 16 volunteers are involved in their Hurricane Lauren response. Half of the group will be going down to help in-person, while the other half of the team will provide virtual logistical assistance.

"It's very overwhelming, but that's why we're here," said Cindy Romig, who has been a Red Cross Volunteer for two years.

She plans to fly out of Raleigh on Friday to assist a shelter near the Texas-Louisiana Line. This will be her first out-of-state disaster response trip with the Red Cross.

“It’s very meaningful to help people. This is the worst nightmare most of these people have ever had," she said.

With 150 mile an hour winds - Hurricane Laura made landfall overnight near Lake Charles, Louisiana. It damaged homes and businesses.

Scott Trahan, Vice President of Cameron Parish, said, "They got trees down everywhere. Houses with the roofs blown open or off. Power lines down all over the road."

The storm surge could last another day.

Leonard Harrison, a volunteer with the United States Veterans Corps and the Cajun Navy, drove 14 hours from Wilmington to help with water rescues. He rode out the storm in his F-250.

“We’ve actually had some gusts that lifted the truck about six inches backwards," he said.

Goliath has 40-inch tires and a 10-inch lift, allowing Harrison to pull 18 people out of a storm zone at once, then get them back to safety and go get 10 more.

He's taken Goliath through three storms.

These volunteers say this is just what they do when disasters happen.

Red Cross volunteers are preparing for a two-week deployment – but that could be extended because of all the devastation.