Q & A

Judy Iannaccone, Orange County Red Cross

Last weekend, 12 volunteers from the Orange County chapter of the Red Cross joined a stream of people heading north to help victims of the floods. Others here loaded a truck with 1,000 cots and blankets for the newly homeless. The national organization has 135 shelters open, housing more than 29,000 people. Judy Iannaccone, spokeswoman for the county’s Red Cross chapter, spoke with Times correspondent Lesley Wright about the training and preparation needed to respond to a disaster.

Q: How does one become a Red Cross volunteer?

A: Basically, people are seeing these things and feeling bad about it and thinking, “I’d like to help.” They need to call the Orange County office, get registered, get involved, get the training, so the next time this happens, they will be able to do something. It does take training and specific skills. It’s not something you can do willy-nilly.

Q: How do you determine a volunteer’s assignment?

A: We have a disaster services human resources system. It’s a skills bank. It’s really being able to get out and help any way an individual wants to. If they want to do case work and interview the families, they can. One of our volunteers is a registered nurse, and she has been trained to provide disaster mental health services. Training primarily is offered after work and on the weekends. People come from all walks of life. It’s just a matter of having Red Cross training.

Q: What are volunteers doing in Northern California?

A: With a disaster of this magnitude, we work in concert with FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency]. Some volunteers will help with logistics, some with communications. One will definitely be in the mud doing damage assessment. We might provide household furnishings, occupational supplies, medications that were lost, hearing aids, the basic requirements for living.

Q: What do the volunteers like about field work?

A: It’s very gratifying work. It’s taking the initiative to actually do something. They know if the same thing happens to their family, somebody will be there to help them as well. One of our youth volunteers says he sees it as a pre-thank you, in the event he ever needs help himself.

Q: What can people without the training do now to help?

A: We just really need people to make financial donations. They can make checks out to: Orange County Red Cross, P.O. Box 11364, Santa Ana, CA 92711-1364. Credit cards are also accepted for donations.