I was a responder during Katrina. Many people asked me "why did it take so long, why was the initial response so weak?"

I replied by asking them if they knew ANYONE that was a volunteer for the Red Cross or any other similar agency. None did.

It is too late to volunteer after the event. It is sort of like volunteering to be in a professional hockey game without any training. Mostly you will just get in the way and probably get hurt. And if you are used, you will probably be doing some seemingly unimportant task far from the "action".

If you really want to help, volunteer now, get training, make a commitment to the future.

Nomad.