The Red Cross discussed Monday how it is preparing to travel down south for potential disaster relief when Hurricane Florence hits. 

The Red Cross packed hundreds of vans with first aid kits, nonperishable food items and vests for volunteers to look easily recognizable.

Officials say they're monitoring the situation closely and will be determining how many volunteers they need and what types of supplies to send. 

The hurricane is expected to make landfall later this week and is expected to hit North and South Carolina. Photos of empty shelves at a North Carolina Walmart are going viral on social media. Several coastal towns also have evacuation orders in place.

Officials say hundreds of local volunteers responded to Texas in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey last year, either in shelters or in emergency response vehicles. Patty Burke, senior philanthropy officer with the American Red Cross, says many volunteers experience or know of people who have had flooding or damage from a hurricane.

A number of Red Cross volunteers from eastern Connecticut were sent down south Monday.