With Hurricane Rita approaching Texas and the Gulf states, the American Red Cross has already been opening up shelters to house evacuees of the storm, said Diane Anarosa, with the organization's national headquarters.

Anarosa said the Red Cross is already operating about 214 shelters, serving more than 31,000 people 300,000 meals a day. So far, the organization has served 12 million meals.

"It's a large-scale disaster, probably the largest in the history of the Red Cross," Anarosa said of Katrina. The devastation the approaching Hurricane Rita could bring.

Locally, more than $110,000 has been raised by Pitt County residents, said Travis Strack, director of emergency services for the Pitt County Chapter of the Red Cross.

Strack said all funds donated through local chapters of the Red Cross end up at the national disaster relief headquarters in Washington, D.C.

With Hurricane Rita bearing down on Texas, the money already donated to relief efforts and not specifically marked for Katrina will go into "a melting pot" at the headquarters to be distributed equally between each hurricane's relief efforts, Strack said.

"It's definitely financially taxing for the Red Cross with these large-scale disasters," Strack said. "We hope donations keep coming in, but I feel a lot (of individuals) were probably exhausted with Katrina."

Nearly 80 local volunteers are preparing to deploy to the Katrina areas as well as Texas, Strack said.

Strack said the Red Cross is hopeful families with memories and loved ones in the areas expected to be affected by Rita will donate.

He also expects the new disaster to pull on "the heart strings" of individuals watching broadcasts of the aftermath.

At the local chapter of the Salvation Army, Maj. Jack Chastain said although several volunteers returned to Pitt County Saturday after helping with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in the Gulf states, at least one person, Capt. Robbie Robbins, is leaving to assist with Rita.

Robbins, who specializes in repairing the organization's mobile feeding units, left Thursday.

Chastain said Robbins is expected to spend about two weeks or more in Texas, most likely Houston.

The local chapter has collected more than $28,000, in addition to loads of clothing and nonperishable food items, Chastain said. Fund-raising efforts are expected to continue.