Only a handful of Washington state volunteers have been dispatched to the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast to assist in relief efforts, but many more are expected to go in the coming weeks.
The largest single group will be about 500 Washington National Guard troops from units around the state.
“We definitely expect to be going. It’s just a question of exactly when,” said Master Sgt. Jeff Clayton, a spokesman for the National Guard at Camp Murray.
| Here’s how you can help people – or animals – affected by Hurricane Katrina Catholic Charities USA: The Archdiocese of Seattle Katrina Relief Fund, 910 Marion St., Seattle, WA 98104. Credit card donations can be made by calling the archdiocese missions office, 800-869-7028 or 206-382-4580. Red Cross: 2530 Lombard Ave., Everett, WA 98201, or America Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Salvation Army: P.O. Box 1184, Everett, WA 98206, www.salvationarmyusa.org. United Way of Snohomish County: 917 134th St. SW, Suite B1, Everett, WA 98204, www.uwsc.org. The money will be sent to local United Way chapters affected by the hurricane. World Concern: The Seattle-based group provides medical supplies. 800-755-5022, ext. 0, www.world concern.org. United Methodist Committee on Relief: 800-554-8583, www.gbgm-umc.org. Mennonite Disaster Service: 717-859-2210 Presbyterian Disaster Assistance: 800-872-3283 Nazarene Disaster Response: 888-256-5886 Operation Blessing: 800-436-6348 America’s Second Harvest: 800-344-8070 Adventist Community Services: 800-381-7171 Christian Disaster Response: 941-956-5183 or 941-551-9554 Christian Reformed World Relief Committee: 800-848-5818 Church World Service: 800-297-1516 Convoy of Hope: 417-823-8998 Lutheran Disaster Response: 800-638-3522 Mennonite Disaster Service: 717-859-2210 Nazarene Disaster Response: 888-256-5886 Presbyterian Disaster Assistance: 800-872-3283 Humane Society of the U.S.: www.HSUS.org American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: 212-876-7700, ext. 4516, www.ASPCA.org |
Gov. Christine Gregoire expects to receive a request soon for troops from the Department of Homeland Security, he said.
Elsewhere, Snohomish County fire, police and emergency medical volunteers will be needed, especially in devastated New Orleans.
Snohomish County emergency management officials have already received independent requests for personnel, but they won’t be filled until they come through an interstate agreement organizing emergency management activities, coordinator Mike McCallister said.
He said federal agencies have been sending mixed signals, and for the protection of volunteers, “we don’t want people going in solo,” McCallister said. “It’s very clear the recovery organization is not really firmed up yet, particularly in Louisiana.”
Snohomish County’s American Red Cross chapter has already sent 16 people and an emergency response vehicle to the stricken area and is seeking volunteers for future help.
The agency needs people who can spend at least 10 days in the field. They have to be in good physical condition and able to lift at least 50 pounds, spokesman Kris Krischano said.
Orientation classes for volunteers begin at 10 a.m. Tuesday morning at the Everett Red Cross office, 2530 Lombard Ave. No special skills are necessary, Krischano said.
State emergency management officials on Wednesday dispatched a 28-member urban search-and-rescue team from Pierce County to Louisiana.
Help is coming in a variety of ways.
At the Red Cross in Everett, “people are just walking in with donations,” said Chuck Morrison, executive director.
Teachers from the Snohomish School District brought a $3,000 donation Wednesday, part of the estimated $30,000 brought in or mailed to the chapter so far.
People began calling the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle earlier this week offering their homes to refugees of the hurricane, spokesman Greg Magnoni said.
That idea, as well as opening Catholic schools in Western Washington to people left homeless by the storm, are just two of the suggestions now being considered by the archdiocese on how to respond to the disaster, he said.
Any such decision here would only be made as part of a national effort, Magnoni said.
Puget Sound area parishioners will be urged during church services this weekend to make donations to Catholic Charities USA, Magnoni said.
On Thursday, people made disaster donations of close to $4,000 at the Salvation Army in Everett. One donor wrote out a check for $1,000, said Dana Libby, who with his wife, Mary Libby, lead the Salvation Army in Snohomish County.
“Really, the response is just in its infancy right now,” Libby said. “There will be support needs going on for months and months. The challenge will be to maintain donor interest and continue to provide those services.”
The Boeing Co. has announced it will contribute $1 million to the Red Cross for Hurricane Katrina relief, and will make a dollar-for-dollar match from employees to that organization. It also said it will match half of what eligible retirees donate for the relief effort.
A Sept. 11 blues barbecue at the new Tulalip Amphitheatre at Quil Ceda Village will be a benefit fundraiser for hurricane victims. All of the ticket revenue will go to help victims, the Tulalip Tribes said.
The Everett Silvertips also will hold a fundraiser for Red Cross relief efforts during tonight’s and Saturday’s pre-season tournament. All fans who donate will be entered into a drawing to win a prize.
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