Disasters happen every minute of every day. While you may be unable to prevent a disaster, you can take steps to be prepared for them and to reduce their effects. The Red Cross can help. Learn how to protect your home and loved ones by making a plan, learning about the hazards, assembling a disaster kit and learning what to do when a disaster strikes.

The Red Cross helps people prepare and respond to disasters in two ways. The first is Community Disaster Education and the second is Disaster Volunteer Training.

Community Disaster Education

One way the Red Cross can help you learn how to be prepared for and respond to disasters is through education. The Red Cross has prepared Tips on Preparing for Disasters that you can use to assemble a disaster kit, prepare an emergency plan, learn about potential hazards facing your community and how to respond when disaster does strike.

Another informative way the Red Cross can help you and your community prepare is by having a trained Red Cross volunteer or staff member speak to your school, church, civic club or community group. Learn how to prepare for and cope with all types of disasters—from fires, floods and tornados to severe winter weather and summer heat waves. Presentations are free and can be tailored to your needs.

Be Red Cross Ready provides additional preparedness information.

Disaster Volunteer Training

People know they can rely on the American Red Cross to be there for them when disaster strikes. We meet their immediate emergency needs for food, clothing, shelter, emotional support and medical services with the help of trained volunteers—people like you—who fill a variety of specific roles. New volunteers are always needed. Specialized opportunities exist for licensed mental health professionals, nurses and other health professionals. Volunteer hours are flexible.

Disaster volunteer training is offered year-round and is free to participants. Once trained, you can volunteer locally to assist the hundreds of families affected each year by fires and other disasters that strike our community. After receiving the requisite training and experience, you can also become part of a large network of Red Cross volunteers, which responds to disasters and emergencies nationwide.

Training is available in shelter management, feeding operations, client casework, driving emergency vehicles, working with other emergency response agencies to coordinate relief efforts, keeping records, recruiting staff and setting up technological equipment for relief operations.

Learn how you can become a disaster volunteer. (You must become a registered Red Cross volunteer before taking disaster training classes.) Contact Linda Johnson at 353-4891 or ljohnson@morglawredcross.org for more information about volunteer opportunities in Disaster Services.