Disaster hits without warning, making it is difficult to know exactly how you really will respond.  Your heart may start beating a hole in your chest and your fear pounding like a sledge hammer in your head.  This is why being prepared for the unexpected is so important – you get to make choices in advance and you get to diminish the fear just a bit – knowing you have the really important things under control.  One of those choices is the decision about being a volunteer – helping those who have been hit the hardest deal with things.

The time to make even this choice is in advance, so that you can get involved early on and familiarize yourself with the various community resources and emergency responders. For example, if you lived in California, The Volunteer Center is where you would connect and learn which local organizations would be able to draw on whatever expertise and skills you have to offer.  I recently learned that Gilbert, Arizona has a CERT program where you can be trained to participate on a Community Emergency Response Team.  You can make an online research for your community, or perhaps make a few phone calls to the police, fire and United Way offices to determine what is available in your area.  I have even had friends who took time to go to Ground Zero for the 9/11 disaster and others who served during Katrina – keeping in mind your ability and willingness to help has no geographic boundaries.

Are you someone who has a love of communication and perhaps have some experience with being a HAM radio operator?  Check to see if there is a local group and if there is not one that has been organized to serve your community during a disaster – maybe you could be the one to manage that very task!

Many cities have experienced the rapid growth of multi-family housing units.  Can you imagine what wide-spread panic can do in such a small area?  Check in with a few property management companies and see if they have an organized program to manage disasters within the communities they are responsible for.  Another area to consider is children’s daycare centers where a large number of children are managed by a limited number of people who, although skilled and caring, might need all the volunteer assistance they can get if a disaster occurs.

Recovery efforts are somewhat better managed, matching interests, expertise and skills to the agencies that have been developed out of the ravages of previous disasters.  Determine what organizations have stepped up to the plate and see which best represents to whom and where you would like to offer your support.  You can find many disaster programs for Arizona at this link.

I trust you have found value in this informaiton and hope that I planted a seed that you would consider being a volunteer in the case of emergencies, calling for you being more prepared than others.  If you want more information on Disaster Preparedness click on the menu at the top and read other articles.  You might even want to slip over to my website and discover the little gems I keep adding there… one of which is a great easy-to-read book, Be Prepared for the Unexpected!

Jan Vitale, preparing you for disaster, one resource at a time.

Vital Enterprises, LLC