Tips For Being A Disaster Recovery Volunteer
You might love the idea of helping others, so you could be thinking about becoming a disaster recovery volunteer. As a disaster recovery volunteer, you can help people who have been impacted by flooding, hurricanes, or tornadoes, or you can assist those who are dealing with other types of disasters. Although you might be excited about helping as a volunteer, you might need a little bit of help and advice. These are some of the tips that you may want to keep in mind when joining a team of disaster recovery volunteers.
Determine Where You Will Go
First of all, you must determine where you will go and provide your services. If your own community has recently been impacted by a natural disaster, for example, you might want to stick close to home when providing assistance. If a favorite place of yours is in trouble, you may want to head there to see if you can lend a helping hand. Alternatively, you might just want to head to a place that you have never visited before simply because you know that the residents there need help. Start looking into disaster recovery volunteering options in different places so that you can determine where you will go.
Provide Information About Your Experience and Qualifications
Depending on the type of disaster recovery that you are helping with, you might already have experience and qualifications that can help you provide even more help. For example, if you are working in an area where homes are being repaired or rebuilt after a natural disaster, then your construction experience might be helpful. Providing as much information as you can about your qualifications and experience will help you find a volunteering job that suits you, and it can allow you to provide as much help as possible.
Keep Yourself Safe
Keeping yourself safe when you are working as a disaster recovery volunteer is essential. Exercise caution when volunteering in an unfamiliar place, and make sure that you follow safety protocols when working in contaminated water after a flood or otherwise putting yourself at risk.
Add Your Volunteer Experience to Your Resume
Lastly, don't forget to add your volunteer experience to your resume. This is a good way to show that you are committed to working hard and helping others, and it can allow you to provide information about any knowledge or experience that you might have picked up along the way. Plus, if you have gone through a period of unemployment, listing volunteer experience on your resume is a good way to fill in your employment gap.