Volunteers from the Summit County Chapter of the American Red Cross have been deployed to North Carolina to help in the relief efforts from Hurricane Irene.

Pam Williams is one of the Summit County Volunteers in North Carolina, assisting residents in the Raleigh area.

Williams says there are some 500,000 homes in North Carolina without power because of Hurricane Irene. She says there is a constant caravan of utility trucks from around North Carolina and from neighboring states working to get power restored. But, Williams says in some cases, debris from the storm is blocking the roads, slowing the process down.

Williams says the number of North Carolina residents staying in Red Cross shelters is decreasing. She says as soon as residents discover that they can stay with family or friends, they leave the shelters.

What the Red Cross has been able to provide to thousands of residents is a hot meal. Williams says the Red Cross has a partner in the leaders with the Southern Baptist Church in providing meals.

As for when North Carolina residents might be able to return to their homes, Williams says it's too early for the Red Cross to say.

Williams says most of the damage she is seeing is caused by flooding. She says the ground around the Raleigh area was saturated by previous storms when the Hurricane hit.