Action Center Updates

Northeast Winter Storm/Hattiesburg Tornado Updates

Points of Light is in active communication with our local HandsOn Network affiliates and the Corporation for National and Community Service State Commission offices  to assess the needs of communities affected by the winter storm in the Northeast and by the tornado in Hattiesburg, MS.

Please visit our website for continuing updates of new projects and opportunities to serve.

Disaster resources:

Good and Ready. Visit Points of Light’s  Emergency Preparedness website to create a plan.

Also visit  serve.gov for list of ways to stay SAFE  during winter storms.

We have been communicating with our affiliate in Connecticut and other

national partners regarding the Sandy Hook event in Newtown, CT  http://www.uwwesternct.org/

Active Affiliates responding to Hurricane Sandy:

Click on the picture below to interact with our HandsOn Network Affiliates activated for Hurricane Sandy:

HandsOn Network is working with HandsOn Network Volunteer Action Centers and partners activated across the northeast to help coordinate the volunteer response to Hurricane Sandy. Below is the list of all the active affiliates responding to this disaster. Please click on the links below to register your interest or to find a volunteer opportunity:

NEW YORK

New York Cares, New York City

Long Island Volunteer Center, Long Island, NY

Volunteer Center Serving Westchester and Mid-Hudson Valley

New Jersey

Jersey Cares, Newark, NJ

Pass It Along, Sussex County, NJ

Volunteer Center of Bergen County, Hackensack, NJ

Volunteer Center of Philadelphia and South New Jersey

United Way of Northern New Jersey, Morristown, NJ

Rhode Island

Serve Rhode Island, Rhode Island, RI

Washington D.C

Greater DC Cares, Washington, DC

West Virginia

We have setup an email for people wanting to volunteer in West Virginia. If someone wants to contact volunteer, they can email disastervolunteersforwv@gmail.com or call at 304-343-9922. We will need their contact information (name, phone, email), specific skills, and the dates they want to volunteer.

Hurricane Isaac Update

HandsOn New Orleans is actively working with nearly 40 different local agencies to assist with Hurricane Isaac recovery and relief work by providing volunteer recruitment and management resources for our partners. Through our collaboration with the Louisiana Service Commission, our reach covers a seven-parish region surrounding the city of New Orleans, and includes some of the hardest-hit areas such as Plaqumines, St. John the Baptist and Tangipahoa Parish.

Since August 29th when Hurricane Isaac passed over the region, HandsOn New Orleans has already mobilized hundreds of volunteers, provided much-need assistance to 36 local partner agencies, and reached over 900 residents during a community outreach campaign centered around hurricane preparedness and fire safety. HandsOn's commitment remains to our local partners, to our wonderful volunteers, and to this rich, proud region as it once again triumphs over adversity. Join us in that effort today!

Take action. Make an impact. Stay involved

Minot, North Dakota Recovery –Our partners continue to support the long term recovery of the flooding that impacted Minot, North Dakota.

To Volunteer and find updates about Hope Village please Click Here.

September 12, 2012

In the News

Overview

HandsOn Volunteer Centers can point proudly to their role in the disaster response support and the growing importance of volunteers in this arena over the last decade. HandsOn Volunteer Centers and other volunteer connector organizations have become critical players in the field of emergency management and are designated as lead agencies for disaster volunteer coordination in many local communities and states.

From tornadoes to hurricanes HandsOn Network, Our Volunteer Centers and our partners have learned a lot about managing volunteers in times of disaster.

• If we didn’t know it before, we know it now . . . volunteers will come! And they will come, whether we are ready or not.
• Many people have a strong psychological need to volunteer in a disaster. They find that acting on the desire to help, in what can feel like a hopeless situation, is empowering.
• Volunteers who have not previously affiliated with a disaster response agency represent a tremendous resource for a community that’s been hit with a disaster. When volunteers are well-coordinated, everyone benefits.
• A strong pre-disaster partnership between a HandsOn Volunteer Center and local government for spontaneous volunteer coordination translates to more effective response and recovery.
• More than ever, we have seen the importance of volunteers as a resource to serve the most vulnerable people in our communities.
• Check out what our Volunteer Centers are currently doing relating to disasters.

HandsOn Network’s work focuses on the fact that “all disasters are local.” Our strength comes from the efforts of our Action Centers in three distinct areas:

• Spontaneous unaffiliated volunteer management (SUVs) and in managing Volunteer Reception Centers (VRCs) in times of disaster
• Defining non-profit needs in times of disaster and matching volunteers to those needs
• Large-scale project execution as part of long-term recovery

Ready to Respond
HandsOn Network published Ready to Respond in 2009 that shared information and guidance to better prepare communities for emergencies and for the convergence of spontaneous volunteers.

This free resource is full of helpful information and guidance to make your community better prepared for emergencies and for the convergence of unaffiliated volunteers.

Download the PDF here

Tools/Resources

Good & Ready

Good & Ready is an on-line and on-the-ground emergency preparedness engagement initiative led by Points of Light working with core partners including Ready.gov, the American Red Cross and the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes. Good & Ready is evolving into a year-long platform focused on engaging people to prepare themselves, their families and communities, with a specific and important emphasis on increasing youth and family engagement.

Below are Volunteer Leader Project Play Guides to help develop your preparedness or mitigation project with your family, friends, neighbors or community.

• Hurricane Mitigation Landscaping Project
• Hurricane Shuttering Project
• Roof Mitigation Project
• Wildfire Mitigation Project
• Smoke Alarm Preparedness

2012 Disaster Webinar Series - Community Preparedness Webinar

• Visit the website
• Download the Podcast
• How Skills-Based Service is Supporting a New Orleans Renaissance

2011 Disaster Webinar Series - Brought to you by KPMG

• Disaster Volunteer Management: Trends & Opportunities
• Continuity of Operations Planning – presented July 19, 2011 (2.4Mb Powerpoint)
• How to fund your Disaster Volunteer Program – presented July 28, 2011 (4.7Mb Powerpoint)
• Managing a Virtual Volunteer Center – presented August 25, 2011 (2.2Mb Powerpoint)

2010 Disaster Webinar Series - Brought to you by KPMG

• Community Preparedness: Citizen Corps working with HandsOn Network - Presented April 15, 2010
• Sarasota COAD Lesson Learned on How to Develop an Effective, Community Based-COAD - Presented July 15, 2010
• Developing a Volunteer Leadership Team - Presented July 29, 2010
• Selective National Assessment Profiles - Presented August 26, 2010
• Communicating Across Platforms to Engage Volunteers in Disaster Response - Presented September 20, 2010

HandsOn Resources

• Best Practices Manual - Disaster Related Volunteerism (1.4Mb pdf)
• FEMA COOP Plan Template Instructions (0.8Mb Doc)
• FEMA - Information for their staff working in flooded areas (14Kb Doc)
• HOCO COOP blank worksheets (98Kb Doc)
• Ready to Respond 2009 (0.9Mb pdf)
• Reimbursement via FEMA under Stafford act (110Kb pdf)
• Stafford Act - FEMA June 2007 (0.6Mb pdf)
• Top 15 Things to Know (0.3Mb pdf)
• Virtual Volunteer Reception Center One pager (0.3Mb pdf)
• When Disaster Strikes Master f NVOAD Jan 2011 (0.3Mb pdf)
• Educate our youth about disaster preparedness and relief through the lessons provided from generationOn’s , Learning To Give Program.

National Resources

• Federal Emergency Management Agency
• FEMA consolidates information about federally funded government assistance to disaster victims. You can apply for FEMA individual assistance and Small Business Administration loans through a single online application.
• Are You Ready?- An In-depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness published by FEMA
• American Red Cross Preparedness Fast Facts
• Disaster Resistant Community Group - HandsOn Network is partnering with DRCG as they help to prepare individuals, families and communities for future disasters

Community Resources

• State Homeland Security and Emergency Services. Links to homeland security and public safety Web sites from the states and the District of Columbia.

• Locate In-Person Services Near You. USA.gov has an extensive list resources to help you find government offices and services near you, in your local community or state.
• American Hometowns - Cities, Counties and Towns. USA.gov has a list of localities that you can use to find local resources.
• State and Local Agencies and Offices, by Topic. USA.gov has a list of state and local agencies and offices.
• National Mail Service Updates. Change your address online and find current service disruptions from the U.S. Postal Service.
• Emergency Watershed Protection Program. The Emergency Watershed Protection Program was set up by Congress to respond to emergencies created by natural disasters. It is designed to relieve imminent hazards to life and property caused by floods, fires, windstorms, and other natural occurrences. You may qualify through your community.
• Community Development Resources. Rural community development resources compiled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Relevant/Related Media

• Huffington Post Commentary