Baldwin County volunteer groups critical in disaster response

ROBERTSDALE, Ala. (WALA) - The start of hurricane season is just over a month away and just as you should be preparing, so are volunteer agencies in our area. Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) met Thursday, April 27, 2023 at Baldwin County EMA to go over FEMA credentialing.

Church and civic groups, food pantries and search and rescue teams all met at the Baldwin County Emergency Management Agency for an important session. The group meets quarterly but Thursday’s material was about getting FEMA certified for disaster relief. Without it, these groups wouldn’t be able to coordinate with state and federal agencies the way they need to.

“Not every organization needs the credentialing, but we have a critical need to have those who are trained, that speak the language, that can work one-on-one through that collaborative, key group so that we can send the rest of the organization out and serve the community,” explained VOAD chairman, Deann Servos.

Some groups like the Salvation Army provide emergency food initially as well as other services. Others spearhead cleanup efforts and make sure everyone involved works in a coordinated manner. Each plays an invaluable role, especially post-disaster in healing the body and the sole.

“We are very proud to be there with a hug, a listening ear, to offer a prayer, to be able to meet the person as an entire human, so their physical needs, their spiritual needs and just to be that listening ear to allow them to try to start to process some of the worst moments in their life,” said Area Commander for the Salvation Army, Sher Jones.

Search and rescue is a critical part of post-disaster response. Foley’s Southern Star Search and Rescue is new to VOAD but brings a key element to the group. Its canine teams are trained in several areas, to include single person tracking, cadaver dogs and some that specialize in large area searches.

“We cut them loose, and they run through large acreage and they will actually find somebody on their own, come back to the handler, tell us that they found that person that’s lost in the woods and take us to them,” said Southern Star Search and Rescue president, Laurie Strite.

VOAD doesn’t just mobilize during hurricane season, but anytime there’s a crisis where their members are needed.