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3 to 4 CNMI volunteers to aid Harvey relief
Three to four American Red Cross-trained volunteers in the CNMI will be sent to the U.S. mainland to help in the relief efforts for thousands of residents who were devastated by Hurricane Harvey, according to ARC-NMI Chapter executive director John Hirsh on Friday.
It’s a three-week assignment for the three to four volunteers.
“These are volunteers who have been working with the American Red Cross and have gone through our requisite training in all of our courses. They are experienced responders,” Hirsh said.
All of these volunteers worked during Typhoon Soudelor in 2015 so they know exactly what the Red Cross program is, he added.
The volunteers’ trip will be financed by the American Red Cross national office in Washington, D.C.
“We don’t use local resources. When an event of this catastrophic nature happens, then our national office in Washington, D.C. supports the travel for all the responders,” Hirsh said.
He said Red Cross would just slot in the volunteers.
“They look at the volunteers from around the nation who have the experience and are educated about our programs. And those are the ones that are assigned to those spots,” he said.
Hirsh said these three or four volunteers from the CNMI who are leaving may not see each other for three weeks because they will be assigned in different areas.
As for the Red Cross’ program in the CNMI, Hirsh cited Friday’s proclamation signing that declared September as Commonwealth Preparedness Month.
“It’s all about preparedness,” he said.
Every household and every individual needs to think about when that next disaster is going to strike in the CNMI, whether it is a typhoon, an earthquake, a tsunami or even something man-made, Hirsh said.
“If there is some sort of man-made disaster, whether it is an explosion or a building collapse or something, we all need to think what we would do for seven to 10 days,” he said.
Hirsh said people need to be prepared on how they would survive in that period and how they would communicate with their children and family members.
