I spent the day volunteering in the North Bay with the fire relief efforts. I had envisioned swooping in with my EMDR-trauma-certified-psychotherapist cape, treating everyone's acute PTSD, and feeling like a hero. Instead, I spent the day transporting and sorting supplies outside in the thick smoke, never even talking to anyone who'd been displaced by the fires.
In the last few days, I've called A LOT of evacuation centers and organizers leading volunteer efforts to see where I could be of use, desiring for them to throw open their doors for me and my therapist cape. What I learned is that most people are in shock or emergency mode, just trying to figure out the next steps. What's needed right now is the unsexy, vastly underrated work of ensuring basic necessities are met.
Moreover, when disaster strikes, there's an immediate urge to swoop in and be the hero, and that's what's happening right now. There's a surplus of volunteers and donations, so most donation centers are no longer accepting donations or volunteers. I called 7 centers this morning, and was only accepted to one b/c the operator felt bad that I'd driven all the way up from Orinda.
>>> If you want to volunteer or donate, make it easier on yourself and on all of those organizing these efforts, and register with the Volunteer Center of Sonoma County by emailing info@volunteernow.org with your:
First and last name
Phone and email
Areas of interest / expertise / Bilingual
donations - list items
>>> Let them contact you. You will be needed, but maybe not immediately. <<<
For CA licensed mental health professionals, contact Ricardo Martinez, DGS Chief Procurement Officer, at 916-317-6451 or ricardo.martinez@dgs.ca.gov
I've found these websites to be the most frequently updated with info on which centers across all affected counties are in need of volunteers/donations:
https://www.google.com/…/califo…/fires/article177964926.html
http://www.7x7.com/how-to-help-north-bay-fires-2494885475.h…
https://docs.google.com/…/14ZhXDNaL260p5OempaFbCrsY…/preview
There's always an abundance of support in the days immediately following a disaster, but this often wanes with the news cycle. If you're interested in volunteering, especially all my psychotherapist-cape-donning friends, those displaced by the fires will be in need of support for weeks and months to follow. They will need to talk about what has happened. Maybe not yet, but they will. Let's keep up the enthusiasm, and support our community over the long term.