Traveling to New Orleans for Spring Break? Make sure you have a plan.
“Students who want to volunteer in the Mississippi Hurricane Katrina recovery effort during their 2006 spring break need to come with a plan and a volunteer agency or faith based group affiliation before making the trip.”
There are more than 100 volunteer organizations serving in Mississippi. Students are encouraged to connect and register with one of these organizations before heading down to the area.
For more information, view the FEMA bulletin on how to volunteer during spring break
Or view the full text of the message after the jump.
Want To Volunteer During Spring Break? Have a Plan
FEMA/Mississippi Emergency Management Agency
Release Date: March 3, 2006
Release Number: 1604-266
BILOXI , Miss. — Students who want to volunteer in the Mississippi Hurricane Katrina recovery effort during their 2006 spring break need to come with a plan and a volunteer agency or faith based group affiliation before making the trip.
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and U.S. Department of Homeland Security\’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) encourage volunteer participation in the disaster recovery but advise students to plan ahead so they can provide the most help in their brief time away from classes.
“We appreciate those who have volunteered to assist in the recovery efforts throughout our state and we welcome other volunteers,” said Robert Latham, director of MEMA.
“We encourage them to affiliate with a group who will match an individual\’s skills with productive projects, to make the most of their time here.”
Currently, there are more than 100 voluntary organizations serving in Mississippi .
Students may find and register with these voluntary organizations through the Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Service at http://www.mcvs.org . They can also locate them at http://www.idealist.org , and http://www.usafreedomcorps.gov , which provides a special page of volunteer opportunities in the hurricane-affected areas.
“Students need to come here with a real mission, a real focus,” said David Turner, voluntary agency liaison for FEMA. “If they don\’t have that they\’ll waste their time and the resources available to the victims such as housing and even food.”
Students also need to know about the post-hurricane conditions in Mississippi .
· Some areas are still dangerous so students need to be extremely careful.
· Accommodations are in short supply along the Mississippi coast, so many voluntary and faith-based organizations are providing limited but adequate sleeping facilities as well as meals.
Organizations match needs with volunteer skill sets; volunteers with construction or equipment skills are in high demand.