Be Involved

You can help your community prepare and help with recovery. After a disaster, people come together to help. The first responders in many disasters are people who live and work in a community. Some ways to be involved in your community include:

  • Meeting your neighbors: This will create a community network to share updates on events and emergencies in your area. It will also help create awareness of who needs assistance during an emergency. After a disaster, check on your neighbors to make sure they are safe.
  • Stay in touch: Teach loved ones how to text and use social media before a disaster strikes.
  • Be the help until help arrives. Take training in first aid, CPR, Stop the Bleed, and how to use an Automated External Defibrator (AED).
  • Donate blood

DONATE

While all donations are appreciated, remember cash is best. Financial donations gives the most flexibility to purchase what is needed for both short and long-term needs. The needs of people in a disaster or crisis can change daily or weekly and cash donations allow nonprofits to respond more rapidly. There may be barriers to getting staff, equipment and physical supplies into impacted areas.

Monetary donations allow organizations to:

  • Purchase food, water, medicine, and equipment from secure supply chains.
  • Buy materials locally.
  • Conserve resources. The cost to ship material supplies can be expensive.
  • Material supplies such as used clothing, miscellaneous household items, and food require agencies to redirect volunteer labor away from providing direct one-on-one assistance to sort, package, transport, warehouse, and distribute items that may not meet the needs of disaster survivors.

Learn more on how to donate:  https://www.wivoad.org/how-to-help/

volunteer

During a disaster response, affected communities depend heavily on local and national volunteer organizations to provide trained volunteers and much-needed donated supplies. Get involved by volunteering with a reputable organization

Wisconsin Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD) consists of both locally-based organizations and local representatives of national organizations. Wisconsin VOAD member organizations cover a broad range of missions and technical expertise, and adhere to the 4 Cs: Cooperation, Communication, Coordination, and Collaboration.

Learn more on how to be involved in Wisconsin VOAD: https://www.wivoad.org/

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program offers a consistent, nationwide approach to volunteer training and organization that professional responders can rely on during a disaster situation.

Since 1993, CERT trains the public in basic disaster response skills such as team organization, disaster medical operations, fire safety, and light search and rescue. The ability for CERT volunteers to perform these activities frees up professional responders to focus their efforts on more complex, essential, and critical tasks.

Learn more about CERT: https://community.fema.gov/PreparednessCommunity/s/welcome-to-cert?language=en_US

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