Thousands of lives have been lost during hurricanes throughout the years because people were not prepared. Since 1881, people have turned to the Red Cross for emergency services, such as shelter, clothing and food. Today, more than a million volunteers are helping their neighbors across the country every day. Although it s not a government agency, the American Red Cross is chartered by Congress to provide special services to disaster victims. The Red Cross relies on a strong group of volunteers, ages 13 to 95.
Free courses are available for volunteers in disaster services.
We need people who will take responsibility at the shelters. Assistance also is needed in clerical, registration and health services. The Red Cross offers free pamphlets on family-disaster plans, emergency checklists and other helpful information. It also provides hurricane-preparedness manuals for children and disaster education to clubs, groups and homeowners associations. Not all hurricane damage is water-related.