The recent hurricane and those yet to come, remind all of us of the need to offer support when a disaster strikes. However, the time to act is prior to a disaster striking.

Karen stiles of the TODAY’S TMJ4 Call 4 Action Office has some information on how to be ready to offer help if a disaster strikes.

When a disaster strikes, the Call 4 Action Office gets a lot of calls from so many really great people who want to help. However, they are often disappointed when their donations or offer to volunteer are not accepted. The best way to offer your support is to plan ahead by contacting these organizations in advance to see what is typically need during a crisis and to get the proper training in advance if you want to be a volunteer.

Although a number of organizations welcome donations of food, clothing and cleaning supplies, quite often, the most important need is money. There are a lot of costs associated with setting up command centers, and having supplies readily available when a disaster strikes. Sometimes, its almost too late to ask for donations other than money when a disaster strikes because there may not be enough time to gather, manage and then distribute these supplies as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Volunteers are also needed, but if you want to volunteer, you have to be trained to know what to do, where and when. If you want to help out during a crisis, it’s a good idea to contact organizations like the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army now to get the proper training and information about how you can offer the best support to those in need.

For more information about how to help others after a disaster, visit the American Red Cross Web site or the Salvation Army Web site, or call these organizations.

Going to the Web sites is probably the best place to start because they provide a lot of good information about volunteering and what is needed for helping people out.

Click on the links under related content to visit these Web sites.