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Red Cross chapter seeking disaster volunteers |
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Saturday, 08 November 2008 |
For the Daily News
Red Cross is seeking volunteers who will be trained and deploy to disaster locations within the state and outside the state. Deployment periods range from two to three weeks. Volunteers who can travel are desperately needed.
“The American Red Cross had a reduction in force in 2008 of paid employees and there is serious shortage of qualified supervisors and managers,” said Oktibbeha County Chapter Disaster Team Co-Chair Dan Jackson.
“If you are a retiree, or if you company might sponsor your work with the Red Cross then we would like you to consider our request and become a Red Cross Volunteer. We are especially interested in volunteers who would consider being trained for supervisor and manager position.”
“We want to increase our capacity to respond to disasters,” he continued.
“Responders have to go through a training program prior to deployment, so we’d like to have a team prepared.”
Disaster volunteers become part of the Red Cross Disaster Services Human Resource program.
Each individual can maintain his/her availability dates via computer; they will be deployed based on availability and specialty. Volunteers are not required to deploy for every disaster but they are encouraged to deploy whenever they have the time.
Travel costs for volunteers are paid by the national office of the American Red Cross from the Disaster Relief Fund.
“By working together to prepare for disaster response, we improve our on-site response,” said John Hardy, the team’s co-chair. “People know each other’s capabilities and strengths, so it increases our effectiveness.”
Training sessions in Damage Assessment, Shelter Operations, Mass Care, and Emergency Response Vehicles are in the planning stages at the chapter office.
Supervisor and manager candidates will be further trained in supervisory course and would be coached (mentored) during initial deployment until they are current with Red Cross requirements for supervisor or manager positions.
People capable of managing 10 to 25 Emergency Response Vehicles for food delivery, people who can order supplies, manage and supervise our warehouses during a disaster operation, people who can supervise groups of shelter and multiple feeding stations are needed, as well volunteers who can train and work in the disaster EOC (Emergency Operation Center)
“We have about a dozen people who are willing to travel to assist in disaster relief,” said Tina Henson, who works with the Chapter’s education and training programs. “We’d like to add more to that, since not everyone can travel at any given time.”
Red Cross disaster relief workers begin working long before storms like Hurricane Ike make landfall and their work continues long after.
When a large-scale disaster occurs and the community’s needs exceed the local Chapter’s capacity, the network of Red Cross chapters comes to lend a hand.
Volunteers like Donna Barmore of Maben and Jim Read of Starkville traveled by plane to Texas to work with the victims of Hurricane Ike, while Jim Henson and his wife, Betty, drove an Emergency Response Vehicle there.
Traveling far away on a moment’s notice can be hard, as can the work itself, which requires volunteers to be away from their own homes and families for weeks at a time.
The tasks they carry out are not always the most romantic – setting up cots, unloading cases of food and water, preparing meals for hundred – but the work is always deeply fulfilling.
“I would encourage anyone who is interested in helping others to consider becoming a part of the disaster volunteer group,” said Red Cross Director Becky Wilkes.
“If your schedule will allow you to travel, we hope you’ll call the Chapter Office and talk with us about becoming a disaster volunteer.”
For more information, call the Oktibbeha County Chapter of the American Red Cross at 323-4621 or go by 501 Highway 12 West, Suite 160.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 09 November 2008 )
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