As the deployment of National Guard troops to Iraq has put a strain on emergency response, a Howard County organization is ready to fill the gaps.
“We are really ahead of the game [in] the state with what we have set up,” said Susan Rosenbaum, director of the county?s Department of Citizen Services.
The disaster volunteer initiative, run by the nonprofit Volunteer Centers Serving Howard County, coordinates volunteers ready to deploy in case of a disaster such as a snowstorm and hurricane.
Gov. Martin O?Malley recently said the state should look to volunteers to fill in because of the shortage of National Guard troops.
Coordinators use a database of about 300 volunteers, some with specific skills, to determine willing and appropriate responders. Training and exercises also are available to volunteers, said Mickey Gomez, executive director of the Volunteer Center.
“Our goal is to get people involved in a way that complements the efforts of nonprofits [and] first responders,” she said.
The disaster initiative started soon after the center opened in the fall of 2001 and brought on a disaster coordinator just before Hurricane Isabel hit in 2003, Gomez said.
Organizers also want to develop effective post-disaster volunteers by urging residents to get connected before the disaster, rather than just showing up at the scene, she said.
The organization closely works with the Department of Citizen Services, which coordinates the emergency support functions. When a disaster strikes, the county alerts the Volunteer Center, Rosenbaum said.
If given the word, the center can deploy a volunteer mobilization center or a staging area for volunteers not affiliated with an organization and ready to help.
Disaster volunteer coordinator Pamela Simonson said the center may be more prepared than others, but “we have ways to improve.”
More volunteers could be trained by existing disaster preparedness groups, such as the American Red Cross and the county?s Community Emergency Response Team, or CERT, she said.
FOR MORE INFO
If you are interested in volunteering for disaster response, contact the Volunteer Centers Serving Howard County at 410-715-3172, or visit volunteerhoward.org.
