Waukesha County natives drive 17 hours to evacuate from Hurricane Florence path

NOW: Waukesha County natives drive 17 hours to evacuate from Hurricane Florence path
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(CBS 58) -- The eye of Hurricane Florence is expected to make landfall Friday morning. 

There are 34 Red Cross Volunteers from Wisconsin  already on the ground prepared to respond. Shelter Manager Hillary Wanecke headed out Tuesday and is now serving a shelter in Edenton, North Carolina. 

"We have about 15 clients, they are coming in slowly. The people we have now are families who are in low lying areas, some elderly and people with health concerns they wanted to be more secure," said Wanecke. 

As volunteers headed out east, one couple originally from the Oconomowoc area drove 17 hours from Jacksonville, North Carolina to evacuate from the storm. 

Michael Spoke, a chaplain with the U.S. Navy and his wife packed up their car on Tuesday morning. 

"At the end of the day, we grabbed what was most important to us, obviously each other. You can always buy other stuff, you keep the things you can't replace," said Spoke. 

Spoke got orders to move to North Carolina back in May 2017. 

"Being from Wisconsin, you're not used to hurricanes and I had no idea what to expect," said Spoke. 

Spoke and his wife Carly barricaded doors, windows and latched their garage door before they left. 

"Crossing our fingers and hoping for the best," said Carly Spoke. 

Once the storm passes, Red Cross volunteers will get a better idea of the damage. 

'We will be here until we are not needed anymore," said Wanecke. 

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