Get Involved
Volunteering
Volunteer before disaster strikes
When disaster strikes, every little bit helps. To make the most of your contributions, consider these tips for volunteering responsibly:
Affiliate with existing non-profit organizations before a disaster. Immediately following a disaster, a community can become easily overwhelmed by the number of generous people who want to help. Contacting and affiliating with an established organization before a disaster will help to ensure that you are appropriately trained to respond in the most effective way.
Be safe. Do not self-deploy until a need has been identified and the local community impacted has requested support. Wait until it is safe to travel to volunteer sites and opportunities have been identified. Once assigned a position, make sure you have been given an assignment and are wearing proper safety gear for the task.
Be patient. Recovery lasts a lot longer than the media attention. There will be volunteer needs for many months, often years, after the disaster - especially when the community enters the long-term recovery period.
Local Organizations
Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT)
The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteer program is a comprehensive, all-risk, and all-hazard training designed to help you better protect yourself, your family, your neighbors, and your neighborhood during a disaster. CERT members learn about disaster preparedness and basic response skills for local hazards, including fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations.
During a disaster, the number of incidents may overwhelm first responders. CERT provides a positive and realistic approach to emergency and disaster situations where residents could initially be on their own and where their actions can make a difference.
San Diego County Medical Reserve Corps
The mission of the San Diego County Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is to enhance San Diego County's ability to respond to public health emergencies or disasters with a team of trained health professionals.
San Diego County Sheriff Auxiliary Communications Service
Made up of specially trained communications volunteers managed by the San Diego County Sheriff's Department Communications Center. These volunteers help provide support when there is a need for supplemental communications during planned events and emergencies.
San Diego County Sheriff Senior Volunteer Patrol
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department Senior Volunteer Program is a volunteer-based program for individuals 50 years and older who want to serve their community by promoting public safety and crime prevention programs as well as providing assistance at Sheriff stations.
Support 2-1-1 San Diego and your community in times of disaster by helping to answer phones, train volunteers, update resources, coordinate logistics, provide expertise in network support, and much more.
State and National Organizations
Whether helping one displaced family or thousands, providing care and comfort to an ill or injured service member or veteran, or teaching others how to respond in emergencies, it's through the efforts of ordinary people that we can do extraordinary things.
Built upon the belief that ordinary people can come together and achieve extraordinary things when given the proper tools. This initiative aims to both expand the impact of existing organizations by engaging new volunteers in their work and encourage volunteers to develop their own "do-it-yourself" projects.
Addresses state and community challenges by investing in high impact service solutions, while leveraging public, private, and nonprofit partnerships and resources. Uncover new volunteer opportunities that matter to you, wherever you are.
Presentations
Disaster Preparedness Presentation
The Office of Emergency Services (OES) provides a general overview of disaster preparedness to community, business, or school groups. The one-hour presentation covers: The risks that threaten San Diego County; How to put together a Personal Disaster Plan; and, What to include in your Disaster Supply Kit.
Community Event
The AlertSanDiego team hosts and attends many community events each year where staff hands out preparedness materials, and information on preparing for, responding to and recovering from disasters.
Trainings
First Responder Access & Functional Needs Training
Series
The County of San Diego Office of Emergency Services produced a series of training videos aimed at providing first responders with helpful information to consider when evacuating individuals with physical, cognitive, and emotional disabilities. In total, 8 videos that are each 8-10 minutes in length are available. A supplemental handout highlighting important talking points from each video is also available. Access the training series here.
County Shelter Team Training Program
Providing for the care and shelter of residents during an emergency is a critical function that must be performed during an emergency. To ensure that County employees are prepared to perform the duties and responsibilities of the sheltering function during an emergency, the Office of Emergency Services developed a shelter training program. Access the training materials here.
Donations
Financial Donations
A financial contribution to a recognized disaster relief organization is the most effective donation to make. When people support voluntary organizations with financial contributions, it helps ensure the right goods get to the right people at the right time following a disaster.
Although there may be many needs, it is not helpful to collect everything. To donate responsibly, here are some tips to consider BEFORE collecting and donating items.
- Coordinate with an organization working in the affected area to identify WHAT is actually needed, HOW MUCH is needed, and WHEN it is needed.
- Plan for transportation to move the items from where they are to where they are needed.
- Identify who will take possession of the items and how they will be used or distributed.
- Used clothing is never needed in a disaster area. Donate used clothing locally to an organization that has a year-round mission with used clothing. Or sell used clothing at a yard sale and donate the money raised to a responding organization.
- It is important to remember unsolicited donated goods (e.g. clothing, miscellaneous household items, and mixed or perishable foodstuffs) require voluntary agencies to redirect valuable resources away from providing services to sort, package, transport, warehouse, and distribute items that may not meet the needs of disaster survivors.
Donate Responsibly
How to Help
Financial contributions are the most efficient method of donating. Funds allow for flexibility in obtaining needed resources while bringing money into the local economy to help businesses recover. Unsolicited donated goods such as used clothing, miscellaneous household items, and mixed or perishable foodstuffs require helping agencies to redirect valuable resources away from providing services to sort, package, transport, warehouse and distribute items that may not meet the needs of disaster survivors.
A financial contribution to a recognized disaster relief organization is the most effective donation to make. When people support voluntary organizations with financial contributions, it helps ensure a steady flow of important services to the people in need after a disaster.
Consider Financial Contribution to the Organization of Your Choice
For local disasters, there are a number of non-profit organizations with disaster recovery missions within San Diego County. Consider supporting organizations and missions that meet your interests and the community's identified needs, such as The San Diego Foundation.
Some cities even have non-profit organizations with disaster recovery missions within their jurisdictions.
Donors should carefully research charitable organizations prior to donating to ensure that their donated funds will have the desired result. For additional information and easy-to-use tips on avoiding charity scams following a disaster, please visit the California Office of the Attorney General's Charities website.
Donated Goods
A financial contribution to a recognized disaster relief organization is the most effective donation to make. When people support voluntary organizations with financial contributions, it helps ensure the right goods get to the right people at the right time following a disaster.
Although there may be many needs, it is not helpful to collect everything. To donate responsibly, here are some tips to consider when collecting and donating items.
- BEFORE Collecting: Coordinate with an organization working in the affected area to identify WHAT is actually needed, HOW MUCH is needed, and WHEN it is needed.
- BEFORE Collecting: Plan for transportation to move the items from where they are to where they are needed.
- BEFORE Collecting: Identify who will take possession of the items and how they will be used or distributed.
- Used clothing is never needed in a disaster area. Donate used clothing locally to an organization that has a year-round mission with used clothing. Or sell used clothing at a yard sale and donate the money raised to a responding organization.
- It is important to remember unsolicited donated goods (e.g. clothing, miscellaneous household items, and mixed or perishable foodstuffs) require voluntary agencies to redirect valuable resources away from providing services to sort, package, transport, warehouse, and distribute items that may not meet the needs of disaster survivors.
Stay Informed