The Red Cross is offering training classes for volunteers interested in being deployed to assist relief efforts in Texas and Louisiana.

A class will be taught from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday in the Red Cross Gulfport, Hattiesburg and Meridian offices, according to a news release from the Southeast Mississippi Chapter of the Red Cross.

The class will provide an overview of mass care operations with an emphasis on sheltering and a sense of what conditions are on a deployment, according to the news release. Those interested in becoming an unpaid volunteer who are willing to be deployed for 14 days must pass a standard background check and have a valid driver’s license.

As needed they can be deployed to work with veteran Red Cross volunteers in Texas or Louisiana or in other locations, according to the news release. Additional training opportunities are also available.

Two previous classes in Gulfport and Hattiesburg this week and one scheduled for Thursday afternoon have been filled. Additional classes for new prospective volunteers will be scheduled in Gulfport, Hattiesburg and Meridian as needed.

The Red Cross said volunteers will be needed for sheltering, feeding, damage assessment, logistics, communications, case work and other duties for many months.

Those interested should visit www.RedCross.org and select the “Volunteer” option on the top menu bar and  complete the attached online form.

The Gulfport office is located at 612 E. Pass Road, the Hattiesburg office is located at 2020 Hardy Street, and the Meridian office is located in the Business Center at 1815 Hwy 39 North, Suite C, behind the Citizens Bank branch office. For additional information, call the Gulfport office at (228) 896-4511, the Hattiesburg office at (601) 582-8151, or the Meridian office at (601) 485-5151