Hoosiers are gearing up to do what they can to help people in the path of Hurricane Katrina.

Numerous volunteers from Indiana are already in place to help where needed. Some of the state's top rescue and recovery workers, Red Cross volunteers and others with the will and skills to help are doing so.

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Contact Us: Do you know of any Hoosiers in the strike zone of Hurricane Katrina? Call RTV6 News at 269-1440, or e-mail newstips@theindychannel.com.

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Members of Indiana's Task Force One, one of the top search and rescue teams in the country, are among those waiting to help where they are needed.

They are awaiting orders at the Naval Air Station in Meridian, Miss. The storm was hitting their location hard Monday morning.

Task Force One Commander Bill Brown told RTV6 that the power was out and phone lines were down.

Brown is concerned this could be the worst disaster scene they have ever seen.

Hoosiers hundreds of miles away are helping hurricane victims without even leaving the state.

The Indianapolis chapter of the American Red Cross has one of just five national response centers.

Victims who need assistance finding housing or food can call the national hotline and receive information from volunteers.

Monday morning, most of the calls are coming from Florida where the storm hit first.

Officials believe calls will increase from Louisiana and Mississippi once phone services begin to be restored.

Red Cross workers from Indianapolis also have emergency responders in place to feed disaster victims in the days and weeks after the storm.

Region Three Rescue Chief Chris Lawson knows what the days will hold for those who feel the brunt of Katrina's wrath. He responded to Hurricane Isabel in 2003.

"It takes a lot. There are a lot of support groups, not just rescue groups, but the power and light people that come in to help get everyone back up and going," Lawson said. "It's a long, tedious process."

As many as 50 other Indiana Task Force One members will also go to the gulf in the coming days. Five other task force teams have also been put on standby to assist in the damage recovery.