The American Red Cross has opened several shelters across Central Florida as Hurricane Dorian barrels toward the state's Atlantic coast.
At Edgewater High School in Orlando, which has been converted into an evacuation shelter, roughly two dozen of the city's most vulnerable had already sought refuge in the school's gymnasium.
Among them were the homeless or those with no way of getting out of harm's way.
The shelter's manager, Vic Parker, says there's no way of knowing how many people will show up in the next day or two as Dorian gets closer, but there is room for 450 people.
She said there is an evacuation plan if needed, and there's a safe place for them to huddle should a tornado strike.
Parker said she is grateful to see so many energy workers in the area in the event of power outage. Hundreds of line workers were being deployed to various stations in Orlando Monday.
Some came from as far away as Canada and Nova Scotia.
Local
American Red Cross volunteers also descended on Central Florida from out of state.
Bill Van Dyke, a visually-impaired volunteer from Knoxville, Tennessee, brought his guide dog to not only help him get around but also offer comfort and stress relief to residents and others seeking refuge at the shelter.
Richard McAdoo was among those planning to ride out Dorian at the shelter.
McAdoo says he's homeless and is grateful to be at a shelter that offers mental health services to deal with stress.
McAdoo says he's not only worried about riding out Dorian safely, but also where he will land after the storm.
