THE CITIZEN BLOG
THE CITIZEN BLOG
Prepping for Florence and the Machine
Hurricane season has become the “new in-laws” here in the south east. You know they’re coming, but you could really do without them. To help prepare for the inevitable, we caught up with with our Family Literacy Programs Manager, Amanda Bisgaard, for an interesting convo about how volunteers can best help during a disaster.
Hurricane season has become the “new in-laws” here in the south east. You know they’re coming, but you could really do without them. To help prepare for the inevitable, we caught up with with our Family Literacy Programs Manager, Amanda Bisgaard, for an interesting convo about how volunteers can best help during a disaster.
Amanda is a former Volunteer Coordinator at the Red Cross and an AmeriCorps Alum, who’s forgotten more about disaster preparedness and relief efforts than most of us will ever know. Check out our Q&A to ensure you’re ready to help if and when duty calls. Hopefully, Florence turns around and goes home, but just in case, get prepared.
TIM: What is the most important thing volunteers need to know when it comes to hurricane or disaster relief?
AMANDA: First and foremost, if you’re interested in volunteering, go through a trusted organization (Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, Team Rubicon, Salvation Army, United Way, All Hands, etc.) aligning your specific skills to which organization can leverage most - working with people, admin tasks, long term in the field, moving and cleaning, etc. Try to avoid what disaster relief organizations call “self-deploying”. A lot of times you will put yourself in danger and add to some of the main issues (traffic, booked up hotel rooms, and evacuating people from an area) local communities face during critical times of a disaster. In addition, everything will most likely be blocked off to people who are not authorized personnel, so this isn’t the smartest way to help, especially in the first few days.
During a hurricane, the first few days are kind of a waiting game. Waiting for the water to go down, waiting for trained emergency responders to evacuate people from houses, waiting to see what the damage is, etc. There isn’t much you can do during the storm and immediately after.
TIM: What about donations? I often feel compelled to things people need.
AMANDA: If you are interested in donating, do not donate supplies! Everyone has the best intentions by collecting clothes, or food, or items to donate to people who were impacted, however this is not an effective way to help victims.
A quick story about that, after the Sandy Hook shooting, thousands of people had the idea to send teddy bears to the town of Newton, the donations filled an entire warehouse where there were over 65,000 teddy bears collected - which is amazing! But in reality, this was not at all helpful. It took thousands of hours to sort and ultimately donate to someone other than the families impacted. The same thing happens in a disaster. It takes many hours and many hands to sort items and a lot of organizations have requirements of what can be donated. (must be new, must be unopened, etc.)
Donate money that can be given to families who have lost everything, so they can choose what they need.
TIM: Got it, donate money. It’s the most helpful. What’s up with the acronym VOAD? I’ve seen this more and more with our efforts to support disaster. Should volunteers know what it is?
AMANDA: VOAD stands for Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters. Most cities have a VOAD that meets regularly so that they can be prepared when disaster strikes and knows what each organization’s part in the relief is. For example, they’ll determine who will shelter and where, who will do casework, who will help muck and gut houses, etc. When a disaster does strike there is always a disaster operation center set up where there is a representative from every organization to give updates on what everyone is doing. So VOAD is a great resource for nonprofits to help, but also for volunteers to know where they support.
TIM: VOAD is a good resource then. I’ll check that box. Any other resources or suggestions to those thinking about volunteering during a disaster?
AMANDA: I think most importantly, you need to be prepared yourself. After working in the disaster relief field, I have realized how apathetic so many people are, including myself. It is so easy to say “oh I will change that smoke alarm next week” or “that will never happen to me.” Don’t be that person. Look into what you can do to be prepared for a disaster (like reading and sharing this blog).
For hurricane specific preparedness, don’t drive through standing water! Every year people die from doing this. Just 2 feet of water can sweep your car away. You can also make a preparedness kit. You don’t need to be an all-out “prepper” with a basement full of supplies, but a backpack with water, a flashlight, nonperishable food, etc. is a great idea.
Download the American Red Cross Emergency app. I love this app! It tracks hurricane progress, wind speed, and where all American Red Cross shelters are. It also includes what to do before, during, and after a disaster, and a first aid kit if you encounter an emergency and don’t know what to do.
Here’s a quick recap of how you can get involved and help when disaster strikes:
Be prepared yourself.
Figure out what type of volunteer work you’re able to do/help with.
Find the organization that best fits your skills. Do NOT self-deploy.
Donate money, not supplies.
Points of Light put together this fantastic list on Twitter that showcases real time updates from all the major and local parties involved in the Florence preparedness efforts. How are you preparing? Let us know on Twitter and we’ll share with our network.
Thousands of Volunteers Rise Up for Hands On Atlanta Day
You did it Atlanta. You showed up by the thousands and helped celebrate the city's biggest day of service in grand fashion. From helping raise funds for hurricane relief efforts at our Kick-Off Party, to rolling up your sleeves and getting to work, you showed what it means to be an ATLien. You showcased what empathy and inclusion looks like and more importantly, what can be accomplished when service unites!
In a word, wow!
You did it Atlanta. You showed up by the thousands and helped celebrate the city's biggest day of service in grand fashion. From helping raise funds for hurricane relief efforts at our Kick-Off Party, to rolling up your sleeves and getting to work, you showed what it means to be an ATLien. You showcased what empathy and inclusion looks like and more importantly, what can be accomplished when service unites!
Let's take a look back at some of the special moments from the 64 projects and 3,000 volunteers that made the 28th Annual Hands On Atlanta Day such a success.
The Kick-Off Party
Changemakers turned up and turned out for the Hands On Atlanta Day Kick-Off Party. The fundraiser for our sister HandsOn Affiliate organizations impacted by the recent hurricanes saw over 300 attendees who helped with a service project, enjoyed the finest brews Monday Night Brewing has to offer, ate delicious BBQ and helped honor Mayor Reed and First Lady Sarah-Elizabeth Reed with our Changemaker Award for their commitment and dedication to service.
The Mayor and his family surprised attendees with an announcement to match all donations during the event, giving us a total of $5,000 that we'll donate to hurricane relief!
Kaboom! Playground Build with KIPP Vision
Delta and Kaboom! got things started at KIPP Vision Primary School with the energy and excitement we've grown to expect from their annual playground build. The DJ blasted tunes, the volunteer vibes were plentiful, and Atlanta's own Silento surprised everyone with a fun performance! The build ended with King of Pops and a surprise $20,000 donation from Delta to KIPP! The tone was set for the rest of the day as 63 other projects were rockin' and rollin'.
We couldn't make it to all of them, but check out these highlights from around the day.
TREES Atlanta at Oakland City MARTA
More than 150 volunteers chipped in for a beautification project with TREES Atlanta. Lee Street was buzzing with community leaders and teammates from Mercedes-Benz, Nebo Agency, and Crosslink. Planting a tree is no easy task, so the pro's started the day with step-by-step instructions and then the volunteers broke out into groups and got to planting. A camera crew from Major League Soccer's Beyond the Stands was on-site to feature the community focused work Atlanta United support club, Terminous Legion gets into every month.
By 1:00pm we were the top trend on Twitter!
Not only did volunteers show up in person, but they shared their volunteer vibes all across the internet! Our Instagram and Twitter accounts were on fire all day, and for the week #handsonatl surpassed 3.7 million impressions.
Discovery at Parklane Elementary
Over 100 kids showed up for a morning full of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) programming. Volunteers from FirstData and Mercedes-Benz worked through the curriculum and finished the day with plenty of high fives!
Changemakers at Peyton Forest Elementary
The all-new Hands On Atlanta Changemakers Board teamed up with FirstData at Peyton Forest Elementary to help with some paint projects throughout the building. They arrived ready to add some color and energy, but ended up taking away much more than they gave.
“What we’re trying to do here is change the trajectory of children’s lives. And the way we do this is to offer them an alternative to what life can be. And one of those things is coming to a place that makes them feel like they deserve it, to let them know that they are worth it.”
Hustlin' with 48in48
Skills based volunteers crammed into an all-new co-working space in Underground Atlanta to build 48 websites for 48 nonprofits in 48 hours. The social innovation hack-a-thon brought together some of Atlanta's top creatives and developers to pull it all off.
Thank You!
Thank you to the 3,000+ volunteers who came out, to the more than 30 corporate sponsors who helped make it happen (especially our Title sponsor, Delta). Thank you to the 64 nonprofits and schools for your hard work in planning and preparation. Thank you to our partners (TEDxPeachtree, 48in48, and A3C), and a special thanks our team - the hardest working service nerds in the business! THANK YOU all for the impact you helped create.
What's next?
Go volunteer! We have projects listed on our site every day of the week. Our next annual day of service will be our MLK Day of Service, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the King Holiday.