As recovery and relief efforts begin to assist victims of Hurricane Katrina in Gulf Coast states, well-meaning volunteers are being urged not to report directly to the affected areas unless directed by a volunteer agency.

It’s important that volunteer response is coordinated by the professionals who can direct volunteers with the appropriate skills to the hardest-hit areas where they are needed most. Self-dispatched volunteers and especially sightseers can put themselves and others in harm’s way and hamper rescue efforts.

Volunteer agencies provide a wide variety of services after disasters, such as clean up, childcare, housing repair, crisis counseling, sheltering and food. Volunteer organizations are seeking cash donations to assist victims of Hurricane Katrina. Cash donations allow volunteer agencies to issue cash vouchers to victims so they can meet their needs and also allow agencies to avoid the labor-intensive need to pack, transport, sort, and distribute donated goods.

Please be patient and allow the professional first-responders and aid workers to do their job. In the coming weeks, months and years, please visit the USA Freedom Corps Volunteer Network to find an opportunity to engage in ongoing relief efforts and prepare for future disasters.

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