Help in Disaster
Response & Recovery Efforts
The Louisiana Serve Commission is helping mobilize and train volunteers in response to the Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Here are guidelines for volunteers wishing to help in this event:
An aggressive cleanup operation is under way to secure the source of the spill, recover the spilled oil, and protect environmentally sensitive sites. Oil is a toxic substance and dangerous if handled improperly. Only specially trained responders may clean it up or dispose of it. Avoid any site where the spill has made landfall and keep children and companion animals safely away. The response continues to be at stopping the leak and containing the spill.
If you are interested in receiving updates, please register at www.volunteerlouisiana.gov or call 2-1-1 (out of state: 800-755-5175) for information on any volunteer opportunities as they are identified. Volunteers will not be assigned to oil-touching activities. Individuals must be trained to rescue and care for the injured wildlife. Unauthorized individuals can, even with the best of intentions, harm irreparably the affected animals, some species of which are not accustomed to any kind of human interaction.
While there are limited opportunities now, both conservation and human services needs continue to emerge. Nonprofits and faith-based organizations are continuing to identify roles for volunteers to meet these needs.
Possible roles for volunteers might include:
- Shoreline Monitor
- Donations Management
- Food Bank Sorting and Packing
- Case Management
- Wildlife Marker/sitter
- Facility and Site Maintenance
- Transportation Assistant
- Administrative and Support
- Pre-impact Beach Cleanup
- Positions at the Command Post or Volunteer Reception Center
- Light construction
We appreciate deeply the nation's outpouring of support and the many offers of help. Working with the Unified Command and our partners in the community, we can recover our shorelines, care for our wildlife, and maintain the safety and security of our volunteers as well as the general public.
