CHARLOTTE, NC - After Hurricane Irene hits, the Urban Search and Rescue team from Charlotte will be there to help people in the storm's path.

Once the call comes, they will board helicopters and head to areas impacted by the hurricane along the coast.

Members of the Urban Search and Rescue team were packing their gear in anticipation of Hurricane Irene's arrival.

They allowed WBTV in their warehouse as members were packing their bags and stocking their truck.

At this point firefighters are in the standby mode, but based on is past hurricanes members of the specialized unit know what to expect.

Deputy Chief Jeff Dulin heads up the group.

"It's a 72 person team that does structural collapse after hurricanes when the winds have knocked buildings down," Dulin said.

"And we also have our swift water rescue team which also goes in to flooded areas and they go in and rescue people out of homes this like that are trapped," he added.