When a natural disaster strikes, there’s a team of people who jump into action and right now Red Cross volunteers are getting ready for what could be a bad spring for flooding.
As part of readiness training, a group of Red Cross volunteers got together Saturday morning to go over disaster management response – basically the steps they go through when they are called into a disaster.
Peter McGuinness says the first thing is setting up a command area where people can come for information.
“Particularly in floods it’s where do we get sandbags? What is the flood area? What roads are closed? It’s where they can come get information. In every disaster people what information.”
Last spring the Red Cross was called to assist in Kawartha Lakes, Ramara, and Muskoka as those communities grappled with flooding. One trailer has enough supplies for 50 people – including beds, food, toiletries - even pet food. Peter Szarzec says during a disaster, victims are always relieved when the Red Cross rolls into town.
“It gives them a bit of stability, it gives them a place for lodging, we get them some clothing, some food…it gives them a place they know they can be secure.”
In Simcoe County, the Red Cross has 40 volunteers, province wide that number is 1,500. And training days like Saturday are important because no matter where you live or what branch of the Red Cross you’re part of, the training has to be the same.
“When you’re given a job that’s the job you do. Or you can change jobs because we are all crossed trained in the same way.
The volunteers are not just training to respond to local disasters – in face the Red Cross has reached out to its volunteers asking for everyone’s availability over the next three months as the summer is typically when the worst natural disasters take place.
