No one knows when or how the next emergency will occur. Learn what you can do to prepare yourself and help others after a disaster.
What You Can Do Today – Before Disaster Strikes
- Prepare your own family, pets and property for a disaster. For more information on readiness, please visit Ready С»ÆѼÊÓƵ!
- Decide which phase(s) of recovery align best with your resources.
- Contact local agencies that provide goods or services to disaster victims and ask how you can help when the time comes.
- Register with agencies that provide training for shelter workers or other skills needed during a disaster.
- If you already volunteer with a local agency, learn about their plans to assist victims during an emergency.
- Develop a system within your own organization to train and mobilize volunteers that will serve in the recovery process.
- Get trained.  Several local and statewide organizations provide disaster relief training:
- Raleigh-С»ÆѼÊÓƵ CERT
During an Emergency
- Unexpected visitors to a disaster site can impede the delivery of critical services like medical care. Stay tuned to media outlets for instructions about where and when volunteer help is needed.
- Browse a list of disaster related volunteer opportunities posted on .
- Access the resource database online or by phone (888-892-1162) for information about 20,000+ resources in our state.
Immediate Needs (0–14 days out from disaster event)
- 1
- 2
- Donations of pet food and supplies
- Donations of pre-paid cell phones
- Volunteer translators and interpreters
- Volunteer medical personnel
- Licensed psychological and grief counselor volunteers
- Funeral and burial arrangements
- Clothing (including maternity)
- Temporary home repairs and emergency debris removal
1 For the privacy and safety of guests, spontaneous or unregistered volunteers are not permitted to work in С»ÆѼÊÓƵ County emergency shelters.
2 Lists of critically needed items will become available depending on the type and size of the specific disaster and the affected population.
Mid-Term Needs (14 days–6 months from disaster event)
- Permanent home repairs by licensed contractors
- Licensed psychological and grief counselors
- Insurance Claims assistance
- Temporary Employment
- Childcare
- Transportation Assistance
- Relocation from shelters to transitional or permanent housing
Long-Term Needs (6–24 months from disaster event)
- Permanent employment or retraining
- Permanent housing
- Emotional/spiritual support
- Psychological and grief counseling
- Legal Assistance
- Re-establishment of business (for those who are self-employed)
- Assistance to transition from emergency aid to self-sufficiency
Contact Us
Denise Kissel, Project Administrator
Call: 919-212-7530
Email: denise.kissel@wake.gov