In Case of Emergency, Check Your Clock

Because officials say New Orleans' population is down from 2005, the evacuations may not be as bad: still a daunting task to coordinate, but officials say this time, they're ready.

Red Cross officials say you can apply to volunteer with them, but because they do background checks and training, it will take a few days, so strongly recommend signing up soon.

The Red Cross will be closed through the Labor Day Weekend, re-opening on September 2nd. You may sign up to volunteer online, by logging on to ....

I just couldn't resist this news story found on the website of an area where Hurricane Gustav evacuees may seek refuge, as they did after Katrina. Now for disclosure purposes I have various experiences with The Red Cross. When I was a child, I took Red Cross certified swimming classes. My spouse previously worked with The Red Cross on disaster preparation. My father was a volunteer fire fighter and dealt with The Red Cross.

Like any organization run largely by volunteers, there will always be areas that aren't run well. My spouse experienced this in the form of politics and, now that I think of it, serving in an area run by a very narcissistic man.

My father ran into something more disturbing. As a volunteer fire fighter, fighting large fires sometimes in the middle of the night, or when the windchill is -20F/-20C, often for several hours, there were times when Red Cross services were appropriate. Families of the fire fighters did our best to support them, bringing them coffee and sandwiches, but there was only so much we could do -- we had school to attend and jobs to go to.

Getting Red Cross services required filing paperwork before any services could be rendered. Since fire fighters rarely schedule their calls, it meant they were ineligible.

Let me be clear: The Red Cross having a system to make sure the money entrusted to them is wisely spent is a good thing. The problem isn't with the system itself, but with its application. This is the same problem I see in the article above. Now, as the article describes, the need for volunteers may not be eminent. May not. Still, it seems foolish for The Red Cross, who needs several days to do background checks on volunteers (which is also a good thing), to close for Labor Day when the chances are good that New Orleans may experience another Katrina. The message is bizarre: we need volunteers to apply soon, but we're taking a long weekend. Huh?

I can't end this entry without saying one more thing. When it came to the fires in the middle of the night, or with 20 below windchills, or on 90F/30C hot humid days, or all the other difficult conditions, there was one organization that could be counted on to be there: The Salvation Army.