When disaster strikes, survivors rely on volunteers from the American Red Cross for help.
When disaster strikes, survivors rely on volunteers from the American Red Cross for help.
Now, it’s the Red Cross in Hilo that needs help. More than 300 volunteers are needed countywide with the biggest shortage being those who can help operate shelters. There already are about 50 active volunteers, but 150 more are needed. Shelter volunteers can be deployed to the mainland, for example, to staff shelters that house affected families after hurricanes, floods and other disasters.
The Red Cross says its mission is to “prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.”
Its core values include compassionate, collaborative, creative, credible and committed service during times of need.
One program that installs lifesaving smoke detectors in Hawaii County is on hold because there aren’t enough volunteers to staff it. Debbie Weeks, Hawaii County Red Cross director, said the program has saved an estimated 100 lives in the western mainland.
Weeks is asking community members to step forward to volunteer, regardless of whether they’re interested in direct disaster relief.
“There’s a wide variety of things that Red Cross volunteers do,” she said.
For example, trained disaster-action volunteers in teams of two to three people respond to home fires and offer recovery assistance. There are currently 45 team members, but 45 more are needed.
Whenever there’s a fire that displaces residents, Red Cross volunteers help them find temporary lodging and get food, clothing and bedding. Weeks estimates the county can use 24 more Red Cross volunteers for that service alone.
Also needed are 10 to 15 more people who enjoy working with 8- to 11-year-olds. Teams of two to three volunteers teach keiki about evacuation preparedness. The kids, who learn about disaster preparedness during classroom presentations, decorate pillowcases with pictures of items that should be included for evacuation from a flood, earthquake, tsunami or other disaster.
Red Cross also is looking for office and facilities help.
“This is great for people who want to get out of the house, but not to scenes of disasters,” Weeks said.
Damage assessment teams of two respond after a storm or flood to perform an initial assessment of where help is needed most. Five teams already exist, but 15 more teams are needed.
Caseworkers also are needed to help families and individuals with disaster recovery. They usually call affected people from home, essentially volunteering remotely. At least 20 additional volunteers are needed.
Nurses, doctors, mental health professionals and other health care workers are needed to provide services at shelters, help replace prescriptions lost to fire, comfort those dealing with loss after a disaster and teach self-care.
To become a volunteer, people must pass a background check and attend training sessions to achieve competence before actually serving.
“I even need office help,” Weeks said.
Want to volunteer? Visit www.redcross.org/local/hawaii/volunteer and click on “Volunteer.” The application will take a couple of hours to fill out.
Email Jeff Hansel at jhansel@hawaiitribune-herald.com.