AREA'S EMERGENCY SHELTERS NEED VOLUNTEERS TO RUN THEM

Chaffee has 13 buildings that could be used as Red Cross emergency shelters, but if a disaster happened today not one of those shelters could open its doors. John Halter, coordinator of the Chaffee Emergency Management Agency, said: "We don't have any trained volunteers who could operate those shelters. Until we do, we can't use them."That is the case in towns throughout the 18 counties served by the Southeast Regional chapter of the American Red Cross, said Ron MacCubbin, director of emergency services for the chapter headquartered in Cape Girardeau."We're in a push now to get people involved throughout Scott County," said Joe Burton, director of the Scott County Emergency Management Agency. "We need as many volunteers as we can get in all the areas we cover," MacCubbin said. "Even in those places where we have trained volunteers, you never know who is going to be available."He said locally-staffed shelters are important in small towns like Chaffee because a major disaster might cut it off from outside help. Each small town should have local people trained to open shelters, set up feeding operations and know how to handle emergencies."Operating a shelter is more than just opening the doors and throwing in a few cots," MacCubbin said. "When you bring in the community, you are bringing in all the problems of that community as well as the people."On top of that, people arriving at a shelter will be under duress. "It can be a difficult task if volunteers aren't trained properly," MacCubbin said.Training to operate an emergency shelter requires 12 hours of courses, including an introduction to emergency services, a mass-care course, a shelter-management course and a shelter simulation.Training is free, and efforts are made to make it as convenient as possible for volunteers, Burton said.Still, he said, the training takes time, and these volunteers must be ready and willing to work whenever disaster strikes."It doesn't take any special skills or requirements," Burton said. "It just takes someone willing to help.""You never know when a disaster will strike," Halter said. "But the more trained volunteers we have, the easier dealing with the disaster will be."

IF YOU WANT TO HELP

To volunteer for emergency shelter training and work call ron MacCubbin at the Southeast Regional chapter of the American Red Cross, 335-9471; Joe Burton in Scott County, 262-2070; or John Halter in Chaffee, 887-3040.