Volunteers Meet Hurricanes Head On 

Across Florida, volunteer groups that pitched in last year are prepared to help again

Release Date: July 13, 2006
Release Number: LTR-06-035

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ORLANDO, Fla. -- Volunteers have proven indispensable in past disaster response and recovery efforts in Florida, and officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Florida’s State Emergency Response Team (SERT) are urging Floridians to consider how and where they might be of service this year – before a hurricane strikes.

Last year’s hurricane season was met with a wealth of donations and volunteerism from Florida individuals and organizations. In 2005, volunteers staffed phone banks, distributed emergency food and water, and cleared debris in response to Hurricane Wilma – and the other hurricanes that tested Florida residents during the 2005 season.

In many cases, volunteerism that was initially a response to Hurricane Katrina – both to the devastation along the Gulf Coast and evacuees who came to Florida after the storm – dovetailed with Wilma response and recovery initiatives. Volunteer efforts from past hurricanes, and the networks developed to speed those endeavors, proved vital – and were strengthened even further by last year’s response.

Close cooperation among federal and state officials and nonprofit organizations is critical to successful disaster relief and recovery efforts. For its part, FEMA uses Voluntary Agency Liaisons to assist voluntary agencies with federal assistance programs, coordination with other volunteer organizations, donation management, and identifying special needs populations.

The following are a few examples of how volunteers jumped at the chance to help their fellow Floridians in response to Hurricane Wilma, how they are prepared to help this year, and some suggestions for where to look for volunteer opportunities, both in and out of hurricane season.

American Red Cross to the Rescue

More than 500 volunteers seized the opportunity to assist the Lee County chapter of the American Red Cross after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast. Of those, more than 400 were “spontaneous” volunteers who had not previously worked with the American Red Cross, said Chris Beddoes, emergency services director for the chapter.

After the new volunteers received basic training in emergency operations, 150 traveled to areas directly affected by the storm, while the rest helped feed, clothe and provide financial assistance and housing referrals to 375 families who evacuated to Lee County.

With some training and the Katrina experience under their belts, more than 500 Lee County volunteers were ready to respond after Hurricane Wilma struck South Florida. After Wilma, the chapter ran five emergency shelters that housed 6,600 people, provided 118,476 meals and gave out 1,320 comfort kits containing hygiene items. They also distributed 1,722 cleanup kits with items such as mops, brooms and disinfectant; made more than 1,000 mental health counseling visits; and provided referrals and financial assistance of more than $150,000 to 165 families with significantly damaged or completely destroyed homes.

At the peak of hurricane-response efforts, Lee County American Red Cross volunteers were devoting an average of at least 50 hours per week to their voluntary work, Beddoes said. One volunteer logged 496 hours in September and 480 hours in October. The chapter has seven permanent staffers, so such volunteer contributions were invaluable.

“For one couple, it was their first experience volunteering,” Beddoes said, referring to the Katrina response. “Now, they put in 30 to 40 hours per week volunteering with us. They are far enough along that they are assuming leadership roles in our volunteer organization.”

This year, 100 new volunteers have already signed up to assist with chapter efforts. Currently, the Lee County volunteers are undergoing additional training to further strengthen their ability to respond to future disasters – both in and out of hurricane season – and to further cement their commitment to serving those in need.

“We have volunteers who are volunteering all year long,” Beddoes said. “They have monthly meetings and activities that they conduct together to build that spirit of volunteerism and trust.”

A Home for Hurricane Victims

The First United Methodist Church in Fort Myers was another Lee County nonprofit group that also built on its response to Hurricane Katrina to help residents affected by Wilma.

Joe Spradlin, minister of development, had already played an active role in organizing his church’s response to Katrina victims who evacuated to Lee County. The church provided 1,500 evacuees with food, clothing, showers and personal hygiene items.

When it became apparent that longer-term housing would be an issue, Spradlin began discussions with the owner of a former 25-bed assisted-living community in Cape Coral. The two-building complex was vacant, dilapidated and slated for demolition.

“Through donations from our church and some other folks in the community, we basically refurbished the entire place,” Spradlin said. Each building was converted into a cluster of four three-bedroom, two-bath suites. A community dining room, kitchen and laundry facility was built at the center of each building.

New furniture, carpeting and appliances were installed. An electrician and a local air-conditioning contractor donated their services. Originally intended solely for Hurricane Katrina evacuees, the facility was opened up to local residents affected after Hurricane Wilma devastated parts of Florida.

Eventually, 42 victims of both Katrina and Wilma would live in the remodeled complex. The church provided rent through April 30; the residents were responsible for electric and water bills. Volunteers held a Christmas party for the residents of the facility. Spradlin, who used to work in the restaurant business, helped some of the hurricane victims obtain jobs. A bus service was offered on Sundays for residents who wanted to attend church.

Currently, Spradlin is helping to organize meetings between hurricane victims and Lee County social service agencies to help those left homeless by Katrina and Wilma formulate long-term plans.

Spradlin said the success of last year’s volunteer efforts was aided by cooperation and communication among Lee County voluntary and government groups, and such collaboration continues this year. The Lee County Long-Term Recovery Committee, on whose executive committee Spradlin serves, recently unveiled its updated emergency management plan. In addition, the Florida conference of the United Methodist Church also unveiled its disaster plan for this year, in which each member church of the conference plays a pivotal role and which allows for flexible resource-sharing among churches.

“Next week, our church is going to start a series of classes to generate licensed ham radio operators,” Spradlin added. The goal, he said, is to have trained amateur radio operators throughout the area so, if a disaster interrupts cell phone service, communication among volunteers will remain uninterrupted.

Spradlin said he expects an even greater response to any storms that this season might have in store.

“Last year created some energy within the church. I think that was really valuable to us,” he said. “I think this year, volunteers from our church would be considerably larger. We felt so blessed last year to be able to participate and help out.

“Most people, in general, want to help people in need. They want to see the smile on the face of the person they’ve helped,” Spradlin said. “It’s really a matter of someone coordinating it. I think there may be a hesitance the first time because they’re not sure they’re qualified.”

But it doesn’t take long, he said, for would-be volunteers to realize that, from construction to cooking, everyone has a way in which he or she can contribute.

“Because of the magnitude of the disasters last year, people had plenty of opportunities to become comfortable,” Spradlin said. “There are a lot of positives – the community that was developed and just all the different folks who were encouraged to volunteer. It’s all about interconnectivity. In the end, we’re all in this together.”

East Coast Endeavors

Florida’s East Coast also saw its share of selfless volunteer efforts in Wilma’s wake. In Broward County, following Hurricane Wilma, volunteers delivered food and supplies to the elderly and homebound; assisted at Broward County’s 23 Point of Distribution Sites by passing out food, water and ice; provided support at the area’s shelters; helped with roof repairs; and conducted food drives for area pantries, among other recovery efforts, according to Audra Vaz, assistant director of Volunteer Broward.

Vaz said the group continues its response to the 2005 storms by administering the Neighbors to the Rescue Hurricane Relief Program. This program uses donated goods and services and a network of community volunteers to help victims fully recover from the effects of Hurricane Wilma; a program of the Governor’s Hurricane Relief Fund, Neighbors to the Rescue is managed by the Volunteer Florida Foundation. So far, Volunteer Broward has helped more than 90 families through these efforts.

In addition, Volunteer Broward has established a Shutter Assistance For the Elderly (SAFE) program. In the event of a hurricane, SAFE volunteers will put up and take down storm shutters for senior citizens, people with disabilities and the homebound. Volunteer Broward is also currently providing individuals with Volunteer Disaster Response Team Training; that way, they will be pre-affiliated with specific volunteer organizations and tasks and can be quickly mobilized if a hurricane should strike.

“I believe that South Floridians are acutely aware of the power of volunteerism in hurricane preparation and response,” Vaz said. “Last year's experiences with Wilma have driven citizens to be more personally prepared and more interested in volunteering in the aftermath of a storm."

Nathan Reiser, corporate services manager of Hands on Miami, said Wilma generated “an outpouring of support and interest” from all manner of Miami-area residents: people who had donated money but wanted to do more; people who could not afford to donate money, but still wanted to make a difference; and people who had been spared the brunt of the hurricane and wanted to help those less fortunate.

Among many other endeavors in Wilma’s aftermath, Hands on Miami volunteers worked to rejuvenate the Barnacle State Historic Site in Coconut Grove. Helping restore the site to its natural state, they cleared debris and replaced trees, plants and flowers damaged by the hurricane.

Reiser predicted that veteran volunteers and new participants would be inspired by their service after Wilma to spend more time volunteering throughout the year.

“If you have a good experience once, chances are you’ll be more apt to come out again,” he said. “I really think a lot of people will come back and volunteer on an ongoing basis.”

And Hands on Miami is preparing for any potential storms this year by anticipating needs in the community and channeling volunteer efforts as effectively as possible ahead of time. Hands on Miami has created Disaster Response Teams, comprised of volunteers specially trained in most phases of disaster preparedness and recovery, that will be put into the field as the need arises.

Many of the group’s other efforts involve networking with other voluntary organizations and serving at-risk groups throughout Miami-Dade County.

“We’re going to be creating hurricane preparedness kits and we’re going to be providing those to seniors and other at-risk populations throughout Miami-Dade,” Reiser said. “Seniors and other populations, they know what they have to get, but don’t necessarily have the means to get it themselves.”

The kits will include items such as flashlights, radios, sanitary wipes, batteries and bandages. But preparedness goes beyond supplies, Reiser said, and also includes building bridges between would-be volunteers and groups that might need help should a storm strike. Forging such connections ahead of time can lay the groundwork for smoother volunteer efforts, he said.

“We’re trying to match up senior centers with different community organizations like fraternities, sororities and businesses,” Reiser said. In the event of a disaster, each volunteer group participating in the Secure Our Seniors program would be charged with helping to meet the needs of a particular senior center.

Likewise, Hands on Miami’s participation in Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster has helped the group collaborate ahead of time with other Miami-Dade voluntary organizations so all are better able to cooperate and coordinate disaster response the moment conditions on the ground are safe.

“Once something happens, it’s chaotic, it’s crazy,” Reiser said.  “So if we can make those connections beforehand, it can cut down on some of the confusion” – and yield a faster, more efficient response.

Volunteers Make a Difference – In and Out of Hurricane Season

Indeed, voluntary organizations throughout the state of Florida need volunteers year-round, for a wide array of projects – cleaning up parks, organizing food pantries, fostering literacy, working with disadvantaged children, tutoring students, helping children with disabilities and lending assistance to the homeless. Local American Red Cross chapters respond to disasters year-round, from house fires to hazardous materials spills, from forest fires to major transportation incidents. They provide clothing, food, and emergency shelter to disaster victims and also help feed firefighters and emergency workers.

Volunteer Florida maintains a hotline at 1-800-FL-HELP1 (354-3571) which individuals can call to receive referrals to volunteer centers in their area. Volunteer Florida’s Web site, www.volunteerflorida.org, contains updates about volunteer needs throughout the state, as well as a list of local volunteer centers.

At the American Red Cross Web site, www.redcross.org, potential volunteers can search by ZIP code to find the nearest chapter.

Nonprofit workers say that volunteering offers people the satisfaction that comes with helping their fellow citizens. They also point out that volunteering can be contagious: neighbors tell neighbors, friends get more friends involved. And emergency management officials say that regular volunteerism lays the groundwork for a spirit of cooperation and selfless sacrifice during times of natural disaster.

FEMA manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.

Last Modified: Thursday, 13-Jul-2006 10:42:07