2 County Residents Aid Disaster Victims

As part of a disaster-relief team, two Ventura County residents have landed this week in devastated areas suffering the aftereffects of Hurricane Georges.

After a short stay at a staging area in Atlanta, the American Red Cross volunteers were dispatched to Puerto Rico, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana or Mississippi, said Mike Powers, a spokesman for the Red Cross.

Georges has battered areas from the Caribbean to the Gulf of Mexico, killing at least 300 people since it hit land last week.

“Most of our people have gone to Puerto Rico or Miami, since those are the two U.S. areas hit the hardest,” said Powers, explaining that international Red Cross volunteers are serving in hard-hit places such as Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

The volunteers include:

* Red Cross veteran John Stroud of Thousand Oaks, who is serving as a liaison between the disaster-relief organization and various government entities.

* Ventura resident Mike Goth, who is helping to oversee various shelter and feeding operations.