Disaster Services deploys four more volunteers; total deployed this year, unprecedented

The American Red Cross national headquarters requested that the Stark County Chapter send seven emergency service volunteers to respond to the devastating flooding in Charleston, West Virginia late last week.
Sunday morning, within 24 hours of the call, Stark County deployed four: Jim Van Etten, Kathy Arkow, Carol Cross and Nila Wetch.
Volunteers typically deploy for a three-week period to respond to disasters.
"We have to be careful that we don't send out too many(volunteers) that we can't respond to disasters at home," said Matt Sweeney, director of Emergency Services. "We've got to make sure we are taking care of the homefront."
Two of Stark's Red Cross-trained volunteers will be working in mass care, preparing and serving food to victims, according to Sweeney. The other two will be doing client casework, helping the victimized families to recover.
These four local volunteers add to the six that responded to the tornadoes and floods that devastated the United States from Oklahoma to Alabama earlier this year.
"Having ten out is the most since Hurricane Katrina," Sweeney said. "We haven't even hit hurricane season, yet."
National headquarters is already looking for more volunteers to respond to the tornadoes that swept through Montana, added Sweeney.
To become a trained volunteer, begin by visiting the Introduction to Disaster Services Training page.