The United States has had its fair share of extreme weather behavior, with devastating effects on the lives of Clarendon County residents in the past few years.
The American Red Cross responds to disasters such as these by providing food and shelter to those who have lost everything. More than 30 residents of Summerton were trained recently by their local Red Cross to quickly to take action to help their neighbors should a disaster strike.
During a one-day Disaster Responder Boot Camp held Jan. 23 at the Clarendon School District 1 Community Resource Center in Summerton, volunteers learned the essentials of responding to a disaster.
In just eight hours, participants became qualified to feed and shelter their neighbors in Summerton and surrounding areas during a disaster.
In addition to classroom instruction, the boot camp featured interactive case studies, with volunteers learning how to help individuals, families and communities to prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters.
Red Cross for Central South Carolina Executive Director Rebecca Jordan said it is important for residents to help their own communities during a disaster.
“As a Red Cross volunteer, you can help your own community during a disaster," said Jordan. “We never know when or where the next disaster will strike but we do know that the Red Cross will be there with care, comfort and hope.”
The boot camp is the first step to becoming eligible to deploy to large disasters across the country. In the past year, local Red Cross volunteers traveled to West Virginia, Texas, Louisiana, California, Iowa, Georgia, Mississippi and Canada to help families affected by floods, wildfires and tornadoes.
Clarendon 1 Community Resource Center Coordinator Kathleen Gibson wants to do as much as she can to help her town's residents to help themselves.
Gibson said that she volunteers with the Red Cross because she wants to be able to take care of her own town and be able to help during a disaster.
Volunteers make up more than 90 percent of the Red Cross workforce. These volunteers represent a variety of backgrounds and receive free training. Volunteers with the Red Cross can set flexible schedules in volunteer positions that appeal to their specific skills or interests.
To learn more about volunteering, visit redcross.org/southcarolina.
