The ''ERV'' is rolling again.

That's the Brushy Creek Chapter of the American Red Cross' Emergency Response Vehicle - which saw action earlier this year during cleanup after a tornado devastated Parkersburg.

Currently, the ERV is deployed to help relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Gustav's landfall on the Gulf Coast.

The ERV left Fort Dodge Saturday morning, said Linda Von Bank, emergency services director for the local Red Cross.

More local volunteers will likely make their way to hurricane-affected areas in the coming days, Von Bank said.

''We're still waiting to hear what the needs are,'' she said.

Once it's determined what skills are needed, particular volunteers can be prepared, said Von Bank.

The Gustav relief effort is the largest undertaken by the Red Cross since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

In all, two-thirds of the national Red Cross vehicle fleet has been deployed to hurricane-afflicted regions. Approximately 500 shelters that can house 165,000 evacuees have been set up in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.

Meanwhile, the Salvation Army of Fort Dodge remains on alert, though no volunteers have been deployed, said Capt. Danielle Shields.

The local Salvation Army operates a mobile canteen, which also saw action in the Parkersburg cleanup.

Contact Jesse Helling at (515) 573-2141 or jhelling@messengernews.net