A Coast Guard rescue team evacuates people from a neighborhood inundated by floodwaters in Houston.

With a vast rescue effort under way in Houston and officials projecting that as many as 30,000 people in Southeast Texas could be forced into shelters because of catastrophic flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey, disaster relief workers from across the country were making their way to the state on Monday — including one Butler County man.

Mike Blessel, 62, of Butler Township touched down at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport at about 2 p.m. Monday and was getting ready to report to the Red Cross headquarters, where he would learn more about what he will be doing as part of the organization's disaster relief work in the state.

He said Monday he would likely be tasked with working in one of the numerous shelters set up to house people displaced by the storm, which the National Weather Service said Monday had dumped 30 inches of rain on parts of Harris County, which encompasses Houston.

“I'm ready to do whatever they need,” said Blessel, adding that he is trained in casework, driving and shelter work by the Red Cross.

Blessel has lived in Butler County since 1976, and is a former Armco employee who left the company in 2000 and retired in earnest a couple years ago. he also serves as a volunteer firefighter in Butler Township, with the Meridian VFD, and said he got involved with the Red Cross through his work with the fire company.

Anyone wishing to contribute monetary donations to the effort can give through the organization's website, www.RedCross.org.

A full report will appear in the Butler Eagle.