Texarkana's Salvation Army volunteers know they have some long, difficult days ahead of them in Houston.
But they are ready to start serving.
The Texarkana Salvation Army received its call to deploy Wednesday and headed out in the mobile disaster canteen, which is basically a kitchen on wheels.
Three volunteers will serve meals and hydration to survivors of Hurricane Harvey, said Sann Terry, corporate and community relations director of the Texarkana Red Cross Chapter.
The team will be in Houston about two weeks. They will then return to Texarkana and another team of volunteers will go to Houston in their place, Terry said.
Volunteer Infinity Ross said this will be her first time to volunteer at a major disaster.
"I know it will be an experience," she said. "But the Salvation Army has helped me before and I want to give back."
Terry, who has volunteered at disaster sites before, said the days can be very long.
"Sometimes you are up at 4 a.m. to serve breakfast to responders and then you don't quit until about 8 p.m," she said.
Major David Feeser served with the Salvation Army in Houston before coming to Texarkana.
"We have a good crew of volunteers here and they are ready to go. I've told them there is nothing more rewarding than feeding someone who has been through something like this storm," he said.
A few Harvey evacuees are staying in Texarkana at local hotels.
The Wynham Garden Hotel has received numerous calls from South Texas residents and are giving Harvey evacuees a discounted rate. Other evacuees were staying at the Holiday Inn at the Texarkana Ark., Convention Center.
Holiday Inn has a partnership with FEMA, Feeser said.
A clerk working at Holiday Inn Wednesday said all evacuees have to do when they check in is fill out some paperwork for FEMA.
A few others have sought assistance from the Salvation Army.
Butterfly Ann and her young son were at the local Salvation Army shelter on Wednesday. They left north Houston on August 24th because they were worried about the storm.
Butterfly is from California and has never experienced a hurricane before.
She originally planned to go to Tennessee for an event organized through her church. But decided when she reached Arkansas, she didn't want to be that far away. She left a first floor apartment behind and is not sure what she will return to.
But said she is not stressing about the flooding too bad.
"I've always been a traveler anyway. I packed some clothes. And I have my car. As long as my son is with me, I will be fine."
According to information from The Salvation Army:
- A shelter at the Dallas Convention Center is housing more than 200 evacuees with numbers expected to increase. The Salvation Army of Dallas Fort Worth provided meals for survivors, staff and volunteers.
- A shelter has opened at The Salvation Army in Waco.
- A shelter has opened at The Salvation Army in Tyler