When a disaster strikes, the American Red Cross is often seen on the front lines of the recovery effort.
The nonprofit has multiple avenues to render aid, from boots-on-the-ground volunteering, to donating back home, to setting up shelters.
Northeast Georgia Chapter Executive Director Marlon Trone said their volunteers are trained before they're deployed to a disaster, like Ida in Louisiana.
"Each chapter has a set of volunteers that we work with, partner with, manage, help train," he said. "We have about 400 volunteers that are in our volunteer connection system that just represent the Northeast Georgia area."
But not every volunteer has to ship out to help. Donations keep the organization running, both monetary ones and time donations.
"We have folks making phone calls trying to connect with elected officials," said Trone, giving an example of a time donation.
Another option is helping with sheltering. Trone said they had volunteers working to help with sheltering here in Georgia for Gulf Coast evacuees now.
Trone said Ida made a personal impact on him as he got his start in nonprofit work in Houma. He encouraged anyone interested in giving back with the Red Cross to sign up on their website.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2021/9/1034799/red-cross-volunteers-render-ida-aid-on-the-ground-at-home