Three additional Southern Minnesota American Red Cross volunteers have been deployed to the East Coast to help in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, including two from Winona.

The Red Cross says Gayle Gorman of Winona is on her way to White Plains, New York as a manager for client casework. A veteran of multiple deployments, Gorman will be responsible for evaluating the needs of people affected by Sandy, providing services and maintaining records. She will also be responsible for supervising other casework volunteers.

Andrea Swanson of Frontenac and Carole Madland of Winona will be volunteering in the area of disaster mental health. They will provide crisis interventions, mental health screening and assessment, and emotional care and support to the victims of the disaster. Madland is headed to White Plains, New York and Swanson has been deployed to Princeton, New Jersey.

Hurricane Sandy has affected much of the eastern half of the United States. Tuesday night, more than 9,000 people spent the night in 171 Red Cross shelters in 13 states. The response by the Red Cross and many other agencies is expected to be massive, lengthy and widespread.

If you would like to help out you can do it online or by text, and even by telephone.  You can visit redcross.org, call 1-800-Red Cross, or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.  Extra donations of blood are also needed.