Local Response to Hurricane Gustav
211 San Diego Asks for Support from Volunteers
211 San Diego is in critical need of volunteers to help us answer calls from the victims of Hurricane Gustav. If you can spare an hour of your time or more, please sign up to volunteer with us by going to the Volunteer San Diego website at
www.volunteersandiego.org. Your help is dire in helping our neighbors in the Gulf Coast. Thank you!
In October 2007, Southern California communities experienced first-hand the role 211 can play during a disaster. 211 San Diego helped more than 120,000 residents connect to valuable resources like road closures, shelters, evacuations, and recovery assistance. Because of this experience, 211 San Diego is in a position to support our fellow 211s in the Gulf Coast Region by providing vital assistance to the residents of the affected areas.
"Through the thousands of volunteers that helped us during Firestorm 2007, we know that providing a live voice at the other end of the phone is key to giving hope to people in need," says the Chief Executive Officer, John Ohanian. "That's why we are reaching out to the San Diegan community to give that same hope to our neighbors in the Gulf Coast by volunteering their time at 211."
In response to Hurricane Gustav, 211 San Diego will be acting as the overflow call center for the 211s in Louisiana. We are currently reaching out to our core volunteers and our partner, Volunteer San Diego, to recruit staffing for our call center. With more than two million Gulf Coast residents evacuated, we expect thousands of calls from victims in dire need of shelter, clothing, food, recovery assistance, and a live voice to walk them through their needs. To meet these needs, 211 San Diego is in critical need of volunteers to assist in taking thousands of calls from victims. Please go to the Volunteer San Diego website at www.volunteersandiego.org to register to help 211.
211 is San Diego's primary source for community, health and disaster information. During times of disaster 211 is the public's source for official non-emergency disaster information. 211 helps people by connecting them efficiently to the service delivery system, and providing vital trend information for community planning.
www.211sandiego.org
211 is the dialing code for free, 24-hour access to information about community, health and disaster services.
