As many people in Florida and along the east coast leave ahead of Hurricane Dorian, the Red Cross is preparing to head toward the storm.

The catastrophic storm was upgraded to a Category five hurricane Sunday morning.

“It just seems like this one’s going to be really bad, it’s just a gut feeling I have,” Aaron Smith, of Orlando, Florida said.

Some Floridians visiting Rochester have no choice but to go home.

“We live there, our dog is there, some family is there so there’s business to take care of,” his wife, Joanne added.

But many were going the opposite direction.

“Just avoiding the hurricane today. Going to Boston after this. I had a trip previously planned to Boston, and just wanted to get out of here and see some family before the hurricane struck,” Steve Carges, of Orlando, Florida said.

Sarah Perkins, of Pittsford, is on another mission. She left for Florida Sunday morning with the Red Cross to assess damage left in the wake of the storm.

“It is totally a team effort," Perkins said. "The more people we can get together to work together towards a common goal, the better.” 

She’s volunteered with the Red Cross for 14 years, and is no stranger to hurricanes.

“I’ve done Hurricane Sandy, Katrina, a couple of other jobs like Harvey," Perkins said. "So I’m accustomed to the bigger jobs, there’s a lot of variables and a good hazard factor.”

She doesn’t mind charging toward the storm, because that’s how she feels she can do the most good.

“The Red Cross always seems to be the one that moves in as everyone else is going out, but it’s because we know we can make a difference," she said. "We can bring hope. We can bring help. We can give some direction and guidance.”

Two other volunteers from Monroe County are also headed to Florida to help, making a total of seven from Western New York.