If your home were hit by a tornado or flood, who would you turn to for help?

Minnesotans living in Comfrey, St. Peter, Granite Falls and Buffalo Lake learned not so long ago that the Salvation Army is a godsend of relief within hours of a disaster. The Salvation Army relies on, as its name implies, an army of volunteers to serve stricken folks with water, food and other basic needs.

Now put yourself in the role of one of those volunteers who provide that relief. It’s not that hard. “When a disaster happens, people come from all over to help,” said Kim Sheets, southwest Minnesota’s field rep for the Salvation Army.

The trouble is, many volunteers would be better prepared to help if they received training before the disaster.

Later this month, area residents will receive that opportunity. The Salvation Army has scheduled two days of special training, March 27 and 28, at the Southwest Initiative Foundation Building in Hutchinson.

Sheets said volunteers who attend the training will be amazed by what they’ll learn. For example, they’ll learn:
—  About the Salvation Army and its mission.
— How to set up help before Salvation Army officials arrive.
— Where they can go and should not go in a disaster zone.
— What their role will be in serving disaster victims.
“Disasters don’t give us any warning,” Sheets said. That’s why volunteers need to know their jobs before a disaster strikes. They’ll know if they’ll be working with people or driving a disaster aid vehicle. “If you have a special skill, if you’re really a people person, then we’ll put you with the people,” Sheets said. “We want to put you where you’re most comfortable.”
— Their roles if they are to staff a canteen. A canteen will be brought in and volunteers will learn how to serve up to 800 people at a time. Volunteers who staff the canteen must know about health codes such as using sanitizer and other rules of safe food handling.
— How to care for themselves while volunteering. Volunteers caught up with helping can forget to take a break, or even to eat and drink.
— How to be cautious when working with people in vulnerable situations.

Those who complete the training will receive a badge that will enable them to enter a disaster zone. National Guard troops expect volunteers to have the badge. Volunteers who don’t have a badge won’t be allowed in.

This kind of training would be valuable no matter where it took place. Usually it would mean traveling to the Twin Cities. But this session has been set up in Hutchinson because Sheets recognizes that many Meeker County residents don’t want to spend two days and a night in the Cities.

She added that volunteers who receive the training don’t have to commit to serving every time a disaster strikes. “You do have a right to say ‘no’ if you’re working that weekend or have something else planned,” she said.

The training is for anyone who wants to help, she emphasized. “The folks we want,” she said, “are those who say I wish I could do something.”

 About the training
What: Emergency Disaster Training Classes
When: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday and Friday, March 27 and 28
Fee: None. A snack and drink will be provided. Lunch is on your own.
Where: Southwest Initiative Foundation, 15 Third Avenue N.W., Hutchinson
To sign up: Advance registration is required: Call Kim Sheets at (507) 326-5017