Red Cross Encouraging People to Volunteer During Flood Risk
The Organization is holding an informational meeting Friday at 10:00am
FARGO, N.D. — The Red Cross is always making sure it is ready for potentially dangerous situations. With the chance for major floods to come our way, part of how the organization is preparing is by encouraging people to volunteer.
“We have a lot of volunteers in the office who are already trained and ready,” Red Cross communications manager Gretchen Hjelmstad said. “But if this goes on for weeks, we are going to need some more people. We are just holding these informational settings to make sure that if people have time to volunteer and they are interested in Red Cross, that they are trained and ready to go just in case this lasts a little bit longer than expected.
One of the most important jobs for the volunteers will be loading up the disaster relief vehicle and delivering supplies to people in need.
“We’re talking about Fargo-Moorhead here, but Wahpeton-Breckenridge could flood, Valley City could flood, Grand Forks, and we cover all of those areas,” Hjelmstad said. “Just making sure that we got supplies, that we are fully stocked in all of those areas and that our volunteers are up to date on what’s happening and they are ready to respond if needed.”
For those who understand how much of an impact these floods can have, they encourage as many people to come out to volunteer.
“I’ve lived in Fargo since 1980,” Sandra Heggeness, a Fargo volunteer, said. “So I’ve been through all the floods that we’ve had and I know how serious it can be. We’ve got to take it seriously and be prepared for what could happen.”
For those looking for more information on how to get involved, email DakotaVolSvc@redcross.org or call (701) 364-1800.
