CROSS LANES, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- The local American Red Cross will reach out to the community this week as hurricane season heats up.

The Central West Virginia Chapter of the Red Cross operates a National Response Center in Kanawha County.

This week, workers will train volunteers on how to answer calls from disaster victims across the country. Right now, thousands of calls are coming in from folks in Louisiana, who are seeking information about Red Cross services in their area.

If you would like to help, the training is Monday at the chapter headquarters from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. This office is in Cross Lanes.

Sheri McGraw with the local Red Cross says, "During times of disaster, many folks in the region want to know how they can help out, and we have the perfect volunteer opportunity for them right now. We are in need of volunteers to help take these calls from disaster victims."

After this training session, folks will be ready to take calls on Tuesday and help point disaster victims toward Red Cross services that can help them.

The chapter is located at 113 Lakeview Drive in Cross Lanes.