WILKES-BARRE -- Kate and Jim Crowley had planned to leave their home in Tunkhannock this week in their RV to spend a month in Canada. Instead, they're in a Red Cross emergency response vehicle headed to Louisiana to help hurricane victims.
"We can't go to Canada when there's all these people down south that need our help," Kate Crowley said.
"It just didn't seem like the right thing to do to take off on a vacation," Jim Crowley added.
The couple decided this weekend to head south to help instead of north to relax when they saw TV news reports of Hurricane Harvey and the devastation the flooding and wind damage from the storm.
"I'm really apprehensive about what we're going to see. I think it's going to be major flooding, major people displaced," said Kate.
The Crowleys will not be alone. The Red Cross estimates that about half of its nationwide fleet of emergency response vehicles are in Texas, or headed that way.
The Crowleys are scheduled to be in Louisiana, close to the Texas state line. The couple believes missions like this make retirement rewarding.
"Doesn't it feel good when you're able to do something to help people? I mean that's what we're here for," Jim said.
"This is an opportunity to give back to people that need help in their worst possible moment, so that's why I do it," said Kate.
The Crowleys expect to see devastation and desperation when they get down south but their long-awaited camping trip to Canada can wait.