Emergency Response Volunteering
In the event of an emergency, there are three things you can do to help.
Donate
Cash is the most efficient method of donating. Cash offers volunteer agencies the most flexibility in obtaining the most-needed resources and pumps money into the local economy to help businesses recover.
Remember, unsolicited donated goods such as clothing, miscellaneous household items, and mixed or perishable foodstuffs require helping agencies to redirect valuable resources away from providing services to sort, package, transport, warehouse, and distribute items that may not meet the needs of disaster survivors.
Donate through a trusted organization. At the national level, many voluntary, faith-based, and community-based organizations are active in disasters, and are trusted ways to donate to disaster survivors. National Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters has a listing of such agencies, by state.
Volunteer
When disaster strikes any community, volunteers provide a wide range of vital services, from handing out water to providing medical or psychological treatment.
Our programs encourage citizens to train and prepare for emergencies long before disaster strikes, so they're fully trained and ready in case of a disaster in our community.
If you're interested in volunteering in response to an emergency or training for long-term disaster preparedness, feel free to browse our opportunity listings.
Be Prepared
Create and plan and gather resources that will help you manage a disaster in your community. The best resource is knowing what to do ahead of time. Learn more here.
In the July 2011-June 2012 year, Disaster Services partnered with the Illinois Citizen Corp to assist recruiting & managing 239 volunteers who donated 2,000 hours during the October CERT Challenge.
We also recruited 80 Volunteer Leaders to provide 4 twenty hour emergency response trainings, organize exercises and serve on Emergency Preparedness committees.
