Don't be a S.U.V. (Spontaneous Unaffiliated Volunteer)
I had the privilige of attending a national level prepardness and response conference Sept'06, including disaster response people from many states and with presentors from Florida and the mayor of Baton Rouge (who was incensed that his city absorbed damage and refugees, had infrastructure ready to respond to support, but the money kept pouring into New Orleans, where there was no plan and the refugees had fled from). One note was sounded over and over, and this was it:
If you are not already part of a response plan, such as being sent by the ARC or C.E.R.T. or etc., do not come. If you are skilled and experienced but not affiliated with an organization which is officially invited to come, stay away. If you are Donald Trump, Bruce Willis or Angelina Jolie, go sign up where you are, but stay there .
While heroic measures during disasters are the stuff of American folklore, the bald truth is that when you have people swarming into an area after the disaster, you have a hard time feeding and providing support for them (medical, shelter, water, lights, laundry, telephone, even just transportation), and telling the wingnuts and scavengers from the honest but overzealous people. People start to get antsy, wander around, even get into fights or sneak into the affected zone and become liabilites needing succor and rescue.
(I had succor once, tasted like chicken).<_<
If you want to try to get on this one, you might try this:
1. Get a copy of your shot records, and update the imprtant ones you are behind on (tetanus, typhoid, polio, Hep A and B, maybe yellow fever if you started that before and have residual titres).
2. Get a month's worth of your vital prescriptions. You probably won't be allowed to go if that includes scheduled narcotics or psych Rx, especially so called "hot meds".
3. Get notarized (raised stamp, just in case) copies of your professional diplomas or certificates, current licenses. Maybe your DD-214.
4. Get your will and personal affairs in order (who's watching the kids, the cat, the plants, paying your rent, keeping the Video of the Month Club and your parole officer at bay?). And take out some money from your account. A LOT of small bills, twenties and lower (don't want to flash, and change might be hard to come by), and quarters.
5. Oh, yeah, get permission from your spouse, your parents, any other dependents, and your employer.
6. Get on the phone and try to find a reputable organization which will be responding and will recognize your undoubtably huge capabilites.
If accepted, get up and go with them, and be prepared to work as a basic sandbag filler ten miles outside the county line where you expected to be swinging from helos to make rescues on TV.
Or, if you belong to a company which has EMS branches there, see if they will take you.
One needs to be prepared if one expects to help out, and the time to start that is long beforehand if you want to "get into the rough" as it were. Right now, pass hats and donate it to national organizations and military family support groups which will be reacting to the event; donate blood; and try to find ways to send support directly to folks "on the line".
In fact, this forum is a great way to discover that. Let's all try to find ways and individuals we can send material support to once they can receive it, and share it around.
