Red Cross/other emergency volunteering

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Does anyone have experience doing anything like this? I realized how much I hate feeling helpless in situations like the hurricane to do anything other than send money, but I know I can't just pick up and go down to NO - they need trained people. There will obviously be more disasters in the future where more help is needed - any advice on what I could do?

― Hurting (Hurting), Thursday, 1 September 2005 02:27 (nineteen years ago)

send money. money is what the hurricane-relief organizations want right now -- it's the most efficient way for them to do what they have to do. like you said, they need trained people down there, and anyone else would be in the way (and in harm's way).

― stckhlm cnd (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 1 September 2005 02:31 (nineteen years ago)

that said, you could volunteer at your local red cross chapter and that would free them up to send trained personnel down to the affected areas.

― stckhlm cnd (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 1 September 2005 02:33 (nineteen years ago)

(i actually inquired about this through volunteermatch but no one has gotten back to me yet.)

― stckhlm cnd (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 1 September 2005 02:33 (nineteen years ago)

I have sent money - as much as I felt I could spare, and I'm considering making another donation in a couple weeks or a month after they assess what's needed.

Hmm, volunteering locally to free up personnel is a good one - maybe I'll call around and see if they need anyone.

― Hurting (Hurting), Thursday, 1 September 2005 02:43 (nineteen years ago)

But I'd still like to maybe train, if not to go down to the south, then at least to be ready if something ever hit the northeast.

― Hurting (Hurting), Thursday, 1 September 2005 02:48 (nineteen years ago)

Has anyone gotten any more information on this? I'm going to call this afternoon - I had to go out of town for the weekend.

― Hurting (Hurting), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 17:26 (nineteen years ago)

The Red Cross offers emergency disaster training classes. Right now I believe all they are offering IS stuff related to Katrina with the expectation that you WILL go down there, so I would suggest that you don't sign up for their courses right now because you'll be clogging them up a bit. The courses are geared entirely towards this effort and they only want those willing to go to the South. Look at your local chapter's website and see what's on offer right now, on the off chance that they have some stuff more general right now, otherwise, if you're interested in being in their ranks for future preparedness, write yourself a note to look again in 3 weeks, when the Katrina-specific classes will have died down and the general disaster relief courses will be back up.

I mean they have to have training courses, think about it, I mean how do you think they have trained personnel to begin with? But like I said, at least here, all the courses are Katrina-specific and they really only want those who are willing to go south for at least 3 weeks to sign up for them.

― Allyzay knows a little German (allyzay), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 17:34 (nineteen years ago)

FWIW, also, the classes are usually not like long-term committments; the Katrina ones certainly aren't for obvious reasons, they're half-day type things. So if someone can go ahead and volunteer for the Katrina ones, you'll actually be down there doing something pretty quickly. And yeah, in the meanwhile you can volunteer at the local chapter, either doing work in there or going out getting donations or something.

― Allyzay knows a little German (allyzay), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 17:36 (nineteen years ago)

My sister works for the United Way. She say if you're going to send money, send it to the Salvation Army rather than the Red Cross. There's a lot of greedball political appointees at the top in the RC, remember Liddy Dole replacing the carpeting at great expense because her high heels were getting caught? None of that at the Salvation Army. More of your money will actually get to those who need it.

― Beth Parker (Beth Parker), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 17:43 (nineteen years ago)

if you have refugees coming to your town(houston, san antonio, austin, detroit, portland, and hundreds others), the Red Cross will probably need volunteers at the local emergency housing.

the local Craigslist should have more, too.

― kingfish superman ice cream (kingfish 2.0), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 17:53 (nineteen years ago)

Also if people are interested in volunteering to help but can't do so immediately (ie can't leave your area without some lead time), why not sign up for more information from Habitat for Humanity? They won't be set to work until they are given an ok to do so and things are cleared out so it's in the future but it'll definitely be a needed service down there, and it's volunteers so they'll need people...

― Allyzay knows a little German (allyzay), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 19:47 (nineteen years ago)

Houston-area volunteer info here. I've been considering in the back of my mind taking some or all of my upcoming but as-yet-unplanned vacation time to go down there and be an unskilled body, as are apparently needed. But now I'm wondering if this is really silly - the money I would spend on a decent hotel would be spent far more efficiently by giving it directly. Then again, I'm probably going to spend that money on a hotel somewhere anyway.

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 22:58 (nineteen years ago)

why not sign up for more information from Habitat for Humanity?

Good call, and indeed they've already announced plans for a major effort to construct housing for those in need. I'd say look into it.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 23:00 (nineteen years ago)

There are alternatives to the Red Cross that are not organizations long-headed by Republicans, discriminant against homosexuals, helping fund Iraq/Afghanistan military campaigns, nor have current directors contributing $200,000 of ~~your donations~~ ahem, their salary as director to various 2004 Republican campaign reelection funds.

If you are interested in donating to and/or volunteering for organizations that are alternatives to the Red Cross:

http://www.sparkplugfoundation.org/katrinarelief.html

― gygax! (gygax!), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 21:36 (nineteen years ago)

also, MercyCorps

― kingfish superman ice cream (kingfish 2.0), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 21:53 (nineteen years ago)

Preservation Hall has set up a fund where 100% of the donations will go to New Orleans musicians:
http://www.preservationhall.com/2.0/donate.php

― Jaq (Jaq), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 22:18 (nineteen years ago)

-- Beth Parker (marthasminion...), September 6th, 2005 4:43 AM. (later)

That's not good advice, unless you want a good portion of your donation moneys being spent on hating gays and preaching about Jesus.

Give your money to the Salivation Army. We need beer.

― Sasha (sgh), Thursday, 8 September 2005 02:52 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah, as noted a few times already, Salvation Army is very homophobic. American Friends Service Committee (aka Quakers) is accepting hurricane donations: http://www.afsc.org/

Or Habitat for Humanity. They're very cool.

― lyra (lyra), Thursday, 8 September 2005 04:50 (nineteen years ago)

That's not good advice, unless you want a good portion of your donation moneys being spent on hating gays and preaching about Jesus.
They refrain from all that. Seriously. I'm a card-carrying atheist who wouldn't let my sons join the Boy Scouts because of all the Godtalk. I gave $$$$ to the Salvation Army. Plus they have the best Thrift Shops.

― Beth Parker (Beth Parker), Thursday, 8 September 2005 15:23 (nineteen years ago)

Salvation Army is very homophobic
Okay okay!! Sorry. I didn't know about that. I'll notify my sister.

― Beth Parker (Beth Parker), Thursday, 8 September 2005 15:28 (nineteen years ago)

oops. i should probably post this here too.

i just got a call from the local Red Cross branch. They need folks to help register evacuees coming to town, so i'm going in for training in about 2.5 hours.

― kingfish superman ice cream (kingfish 2.0), Friday, 9 September 2005 20:29 (nineteen years ago)

again, as posted on the other thread:

ok, they CANCELLED the evacuee flights again(2nd time) late this afternoon, and so they cancelled the training class, a fact revealed to me by a rent-a-cop by the entrance of the fenced-off high school where they are/were/are/were preparing evacuee shelters. No one from the local Red Cross can confirm what's going on, and since i don't have RC i.d., i couldn't go in to find out. the dude at the office didn't know and couldn't find anybody who knew either.

what the FUCK is going on in this country?

― kingfish superman ice cream (kingfish 2.0), Friday, 9 September 2005 23:46 (nineteen years ago)

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