Nova Scotia veteran plans to hit the road in his RV to help with Harvey cleanup

A Nova Scotia veteran and his wife want to help Hurricane Harvey victims on their road to recovery and plan to pack up the family RV and hit the highway on a 4000-kilometre trek to flood-ravaged Houston.

Robert Dobson, 39, came upon the idea after someone from Texas posted on an Eastern Shore Facebook group trying to track down a contact. Dobson decided he could do one better.

"My wife and I just brainstormed and we're like, 'Well, we have an RV, so let's load up the RV and go down,'" he told CBC's Information Morning.

Dobson said he plans to fill his RV with supplies purchased with money fundraised out of his home in Musquodoboit Harbour.

'The list is going to change'

Working in tandem with an organization called Combined Arms, which co-ordinates volunteer opportunities for veterans helping out with recovery efforts in Houston, he'll adjust the contents of the RV to meet the needs on the ground. 

"The list is going to change over the weeks as donations come in, so for right now they're after drywall tools and kids clothing," said Dobson, who served four years with the Canadian Forces, including in Kosovo.

Dobson said they also plan to bring cleaning supplies, although those will have to be purchased on the American side of the border. 

'Definitely help out'

Dobson originally planned the trip with another veteran, but after health issues forced that veteran to drop out, Dobson and his wife decided they'd go down as a family instead.

For his daughters, who are four and 10, Dobson said he hopes it will be an opportunity to learn about the importance of pitching in.

"I want them to learn that, you know, if you can dream it, you can do it — and definitely help out people in need."

Dobson said they hope to leave by Oct. 15 at the latest. Once they reach Houston, which will take roughly three days of driving, he plans to spend a week volunteering. 

If they haven't raised enough to cover their own costs plus expenses by then, he said they'll just send what they've collected instead.

And while they'll also have to adjust their plans if Hurricane Irma hits the southern U.S., Dobson said he's hopeful about what they can do to help out.

"I'm very happy about how things have progressed," he said. "Two days ago we got our first physical donation … it was brooms, masks, some cloths, some cleaning supplies.

"And then there was this bottle that I didn't realize until after the gentleman had left, but it was filled with American coins for cleaning supplies, so I was just like 'Wow."'