Nevada volunteer aiding in Midwest disaster recovery

Malia Spencer

Friday, June 27, 2003 | 5:37 a.m.

Malia Spencer

WEEKEND EDITION

June 28-29, 2003

Responding to a national request, the Southern Nevada chapter of the American Red Cross on Friday sent volunteer Richard Walko to offer computer assistance to the agency's Minnesota chapter.

Recent floods and tornadoes have caused extensive damage in the Midwest. In the town of Buffalo Lake, Minn., 70 miles west of Minneapolis, for example, 10 to 15 homes were destroyed and five buildings were damaged last week.

Walko, who directs one of the agency's donation programs in Las Vegas, will be in St. Paul, Minn., running computer operations that will help the Red Cross keep track of the disaster's size and of relief efforts needed or under way. He will compile data on damage costs and staffing that will be sent to American Red Cross national headquarters, Red Cross spokesperson Sharon Tutrone said.

Walko will be part of the "nerve center" for record-keeping, Tutrone said.

The type of work Walko will be handling -- disaster computer operations -- requires specialized training and "has a small core group" of volunteers, said Brian Garcia, coordinator of disaster services for the Southern Nevada chapter.

Walko was recruited for the Minnesota duties by the agency's national headquarters, Garcia noted. Because disaster computer operations is such a specialized field, the work of people with those skills is known throughout Red Cross and those individuals sometimes are specifically requested to work on a disaster.

Walko is part of the Southern Nevada chapter's larger response team, Disaster Services Human Resources. The team is comprised of 60 staff members and volunteers who have made themselves available to national requests for aid, Tutrone said. She added there are 25 volunteers who regularly are dispatched out of town.

The Disaster Services Human Resources sends personnel out to sites to help with mass care, the feeding of volunteers and victims and damage assessment. Those who wish to be members of the team must complete training and volunteer on a local level, Tutrone said.

The job involves long hours, hard work and a lot of travel, but people volunteer for the work because "it's an opportunity to reach out and help other people," Tutrone said.

Garcia has been sent on many aid trips, most recently to assess damage done by tornadoes in Missouri this year.

Garcia said he volunteers locally and nationally "just to help out."

He added, "I want to know that others would be there if we needed help."

Although Walko is retired, some employers may continue to pay employees who leave work to volunteer, Garcia said. Some people also use vacation time when they leave on a national call. "That's what I did," Garcia said.

The last time the Southern Nevada chapter needed national help was the summer of 1999 when Las Vegas experienced extensive flooding, Garcia said.

On July 8, 1999, a storm flooded the valley and caused two deaths and the American Red Cross had served more than 874 meals and aided the many residents whose homes were affected. For that disaster, the Red Cross activated 72 volunteers.

Walko will be in Minnesota until the job is done, Gracia said. But volunteers usually commit only to a three-week stint.

The American Red Cross is an organization dedicated to helping communities both prepare for and respond to disasters. Tutrone said the agency also provides training that can be tailored to all age groups.

The Southern Nevada chapter began in 1917 and provides services from Tonopah to Laughlin. For more information call (702) 791-3311.