Red Cross works to form community disaster team
The local chapter of the American Red Cross is continuing efforts to improve responses to disasters in the community and is looking for more volunteers.
Although the non-profit organization’s members have always had the capacity to assist in times of need following natural or other types of disasters, the chapter’s leadership has been undergoing a months-long campaign to get more people involved in disaster response locally. Hopes are to have 40 people on board by next spring.
So far, 15 people have decided to volunteer their efforts to assist victims of house fires, tornadoes or other disasters, but local director Kathy Nesmith says the organization needs more. Despite being a staple of the national Red Cross organizations, this is the first time disaster teams have been formally organized locally.
“We’ve always responded to house fires, but it’s always been a couple of top people from our chapter responding,” she said. “We should have had more people responding, and that is our goal, to have as many people trained as possible. We need more people trained as teams.”
Officially called a disaster action team, the local chapter is hoping to create three such teams upon reaching that goal. Disaster teams are organized to place trained Red Cross volunteers at the scene of a disaster within minutes of notification and to provide for the emergency needs of victims and emergency workers.
A Saturday meeting, one of many to introduce volunteers to the idea of how a real-world response would operate, focused upon how to set up volunteers and organize a response to feed emergency workers and then set up emergency shelters. The scenario involved a tornado that hit a subdivision.
“We have been so extremely lucky to not have a lot of tornados,” Nesmith added, “but we do need to be prepared.”
She stressed the American Red Cross is to help with immediate needs.
“We want to help them with food, clothes, locate them another place to live. We’re giving them a boost, but we can’t replace what they’ve lost.”
In addition to needing more volunteers, the organization needs radios to communicate in times of disaster in case other systems get overloaded. To volunteer or donate, contact Nesmith at 473-2595.