Raines is the volunteers and donations coordinator for the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, working with nonprofits, volunteer organizations and faith-based groups in bringing aid to disaster victims. How has 2011 compared to other years in terms of the need for weather-related emergency response?
For us in Virginia, it’s been quite some time since we’ve had as significant an event as what we’ve had this year with the series of four events [tornadoes, two tropical storms and an earthquake]. The accumulation of all of those have been very much out of the norm for us. Really it’s been since [Tropical Storm] Isabel in 2003 that we’ve had anything this significant come through.
What about the earthquake is particularly challenging?
Even folks of means were not insured because they didn’t think they needed earthquake insurance. No one really thought it would happen for those on the East Coast and never really thought whether their insurance covered earthquake. And because its foundation work, it’s not the kind of work volunteer organizations are really able to do. Volunteer organizations are going to have to be creative in thinking outside the paradigms as far as how and when they help.
How have volunteer groups responded?
The volunteer organizations have responded very well, although giving for disaster response has been down since [Hurricane] Katrina. There was a sense of compassion fatigue because of the very significant events that happened that year and the economic downturn since then. They have not been able to assist as they prefer.
And the victims?
They’re helping one another and there’s a fair amount of resilience that we try to help as much as we can. My advice would be to talk with one another so they are able to realize they’re not alone in what they’re struggling with and find strength in one another.
— Steve Contorno
