Volunteering for Disaster Relief Organizations

[senorsquishie]

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In advanced, please forgive typos, I have been awake FAR longer then I care to admit.

So, after my area was hit by tornados I have been out with groups that specialize in Disaster Relief. Now the problem is that people can't come off the street to volunteer even though shelters and rescue crews are understaffed. So, if this is something you may want to do, don't delay signing up for a group so you can actually help.

anyone ever been involved in disaster relief? Was it a valuable experience for you? Would you recomend it as a way for fellow SNDers to get involved?

 

[flatearth22]

Great way to get involved. Also makes for something to talk about in interviews or mention in a PS.

An Adcom I spoke to from a UC said she's far more impressed with people who respond to disaster relief than those who spend $2000 to go on medical missions in Latin America (aka medical vacations).

 

[LaFleur]

An Adcom I spoke to from a UC said she's far more impressed with people who respond to disaster relief than those who spend $2000 to go on medical missions in Latin America (aka medical vacations).

I'd believe it. Personally, I don't think very highly of medical missions.

 

[AntiHouseMD]

Don't know anything about disaster relief from a personal experience, but I just want to say thanks for working with disaster relief in Massachusetts. I live away from most of the damage on the North Shore, and I can't imagine having a tornado come through and destroy our towns. I remember watching the radar and seeing those towns get hit hard, and I felt terrible. It's nice to see some people willing to volunteer and help out. Thanks again.

 

[senorsquishie]

I was very lucky my family, friends, and possesions are safe.

When your own are safe, and you have the training and the means, watching from the sidelines is impossible.

I have learned a lot in the past few days. The stories of the victims are heartbreaking. One little girl was hystarical, and all we could get out of her was "the tomatos took my house". Another family was traped in their basement for 24 hours. Sometimes the best care is a hug and and ear.

This is NOT something you can do to "check off a box". You would burn out in hours. But if you have a love for medicine and a lot of compassion, it gives you a very rare oportunity. There are not enough professionals around. It is not like hospital volunteering where you wheel people around. Even if you do not have medical credientials, you likely will be assisting someone who does. For one Pt. another EMT and I grabbed the first two people we could find to assist with a pt.

 

[Ost3oclast]

I have been a volunteer firefighter since my community suffered a really bad fire a couple months back. I know what you mean about seeing alot of intense things. It puts life in perspective. I helped clean up with some of the families after their houses were burnt down and stuff like that. I'm sure I haven't seen NEAR the carnage you have but, just as mentioned above, I believe that an adcom member is far more likely to be impressed by somebody who was motivated to act on a situation where there were many people in need, rather than some expensive mission trip.

This situation is going to show that you have passion for your community and it's members. Its also going to be a great topic to discuss during interviews.

 

[senorsquishie]

I have been a volunteer firefighter since my community suffered a really bad fire a couple months back. I know what you mean about seeing alot of intense things. It puts life in perspective. I helped clean up with some of the families after their houses were burnt down and stuff like that. I'm sure I haven't seen NEAR the carnage you have but, just as mentioned above, I believe that an adcom member is far more likely to be impressed by somebody who was motivated to act on a situation where there were many people in need, rather than some expensive mission trip.

This situation is going to show that you have passion for your community and it's members. Its also going to be a great topic to discuss during interviews.

Very true, but my hope is that people will want to get involved because they care, not because it look good.

 

[mauberley]

This may go without saying, but volunteering for disaster relief efforts does require a time commitment that not everyone may be able to make. Certainly for the large-scale responses that pull in volunteers from out of the region (for Joplin, my program director at the Red Cross chapter here said it was a two-week commitment), but even for your local disaster action teams responding to fires and other smaller-scale events, you may be on call at inopportune times.

That having been said, if you can make the commitment and it's something you're interested in (again, as has been said, not because you think it'll look good on a resume), then I wholeheartedly support the idea.

 

[senorsquishie]

This may go without saying, but volunteering for disaster relief efforts does require a time commitment that not everyone may be able to make. Certainly for the large-scale responses that pull in volunteers from out of the region (for Joplin, my program director at the Red Cross chapter here said it was a two-week commitment), but even for your local disaster action teams responding to fires and other smaller-scale events, you may be on call at inopportune times.

That having been said, if you can make the commitment and it's something you're interested in (again, as has been said, not because you think it'll look good on a resume), then I wholeheartedly support the idea.

I agree with the time commitment thing.