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<br /> <br />service clubs. <br /> <br />Notes <br /> <br />Many civic and fraternal organizations have well defined <br />organizational structures that can be put to good use during a flood <br />emergency. The existing organizational structure makes it easier <br />to train and direct the workforce and determine the presence of any <br />special skills or talents among the volunteers. <br /> <br />Citizens may wish to independently volunteer their services to <br />assist in the flood fight. Provisions must be made for dealing with <br />this fluid labor pool. One way to handle this group is to establish <br />recruitment centers where independent volunteer workers can be <br />registered, trained, and directed to job sites. Recruitment centers <br />should be well advertised in the media. This will help reduce the <br />number of volunteers that "show up" at various operations. <br /> <br />Support services are required during a flood emergency. Some <br />more common support services include: congregate care, commu- <br />nications, child care services, food service, ftrst aid, transportation, <br />registration and tracking of volunteers and other resources, as well <br />as general administrative duties. These areas are just as important <br />to the success of the flood fight as are the sandbag teams. <br /> <br />Volunteers in a flood emergency come in all shapes and sizes. <br />It is important to match the Skills and capabilities of the person or <br />group with the tasks that must be accomplished. In a flood <br />emergency, there are many tasks other than filling sandbags that <br />must be completed. Workforce administrators must be willing to <br />be creative in work assignments. <br /> <br />For example, in one community a local civic organization that <br />-----vulunLeered tu hetp-waTIllaOe . <br />The members of this organization, many of whom were in their <br />50's and 60's, were not up to the rigors of the sandbag line. This <br />raised safety concerns as well as issues related to the efficiency of <br />using this group for heavy labor during the flood fight. <br /> <br />However, when questioned by the Workforce Director, it was <br />learned that the organization routinely held fund raising breakfasts <br />in the community and its' members were skilled in mass feeding <br />techniques. Furthermore, they had the necessary internal resources <br />to begin a feeding operation with only a few hours notice. The <br />Workforce Director made the obvious decision to use this group in <br />a support role rather than directly on the flood line to the beneftt of <br />the overall operation. <br /> <br />Senior citizens have proven themselves to be a valuable <br /> <br />Page6-4 <br />