ELKHART — The Gulf Coast is hunkering down and preparing for the worst as tropical storm Gustav gains strength in the Caribbean. Even before Gustav hits, many in our area are heading to the Gulf Coast to help.

Thirty-five local Red Cross volunteers from St. Joseph, Elkhart, Marshall and Kosciusko counties are heading south to Mississippi, Texas and Louisiana; four of those volunteers are from the Elkhart chapter.

WSBT News spoke with one woman who is preparing for an emotional and physical journey.

"I hope that it doesn't cause any major harm for anybody but I'm there and I'll be ready,” said Susan Calhoun of Bristol.

Calhoun will soon be putting paperwork aside to run a shelter after Gustav hits the Gulf. For up to three weeks the shelter will also be her home.

"Hearing their heart wrenching stories and knowing you can only help to a point ... that makes it rough,” she said.

Deb Moore, with the American Red Cross Elkhart Chapter, helped during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. She says they learned a lot and will be even more prepared.

"We are deploying a whole lot more people than what we did before,” Moore explained. “[Hopefully] it will turn, it won’t hit all those states and our people can come home; but at least we are going to have them there and be ready for them if they need to be."

Some experts worry that if Gustav hits the oil rigs in the Gulf Coast it could affect us all in the pocketbook — soaring gas prices from $3.86 to $5 or even $8 a gallon.

A little over 2,000 Red Cross volunteers will be deployed nationwide to the Gulf.

Calhoun is leaving her family behind for the sixth time.

"I think they always have a little bit of nervousness to it, but I’ve done it before so they’re pretty used to me just getting up and going,” she said.

She says she knows there are families out there that need her more.

"You know you are able to do something for somebody else — because it’s not always about yourself — I think, to me, your biggest reward is to do for others,” Calhoun said.

Anyone traveling over the next few days to the Caribbean is being told to rethink travel plans. For those already there, the State Department is urging travelers to get back home while flights are still available.

How you can help

If it does become a full-blown disaster the Red Cross Elkhart Chapter will be holding an emergency boot camp to train people to be deployed for up to 21 days to help the victims. Those dates are September 9th and 11th. Call 574-293-6519 for more information, or go to their website.