Gulf Oil Spill - How to Volunteer

Gulf Oil Spill 6 Ways You Can Make a Difference

How to navigate the volunteer maze

The April 20 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico set off a gusher of crude oil into the waters — and a powerful flood of volunteers clamoring to help. And therein lies a problem. This has been a particularly complex disaster. Volunteers have been kept at arm’s length for the most part — BP itself raised and trained a small army of paid workers to handle most of the immediate tasks, such as laying boom and cleaning birds. And much of the recovery work isn’t as simple as mopping up after a hurricane: it has been hazardous enough to require special training. “We had to discourage people from jumping in their cars and heading down to the Gulf,” said Delta Willis of the National Audubon Society. “We had to tell people [the spill] was toxic and you could harm yourself and the wildlife.” What’s more, many Gulf residents questioned whether an onslaught of volunteers — even if full of good intentions — would have been a boon or bane to the region. Unpaid labor, some feared, would take money out of the pockets of those hired to clean up in lieu of fishing or other local jobs. So the volunteer experience for many has been this: sign up and then wait for a call that doesn’t come. The supply of volunteers has outstripped the demand. While the lack of opportunities may frustrate those who dearly want to help, much remains to be done. The oil spill may be “winding down in the media, but by no means is it winding down in terms of problems along the coast,” said Dana Eness, executive director of the Urban Conservancy in New Orleans, which has helped direct volunteers to useful jobs. Helping hands most likely will be needed for a long time as the Gulf Coast and the lives of those along it gradually recover. Here’s how you can help — if you're patient. Volunteer for general duty. The oil spill command center, run jointly by the federal government and BP, directs volunteers to the . Or you can call 866-448-5816 and an operator will briefly interview you to learn if you have special skills (such as training as an emergency medical technician or in law enforcement). Those without such skills may be asked to perform basic tasks, none of which involves contact with oil — cleaning beaches in advance of potential oil damage, helping with office chores and the like. If you're needed, a volunteer coordinator will contact you. Volunteers can also — again, with no jobs involving direct contact with oil. Some volunteers work as field observers, surveying the coastline for impacts from the spill.

Related

Help out food banks. Finding it hard to make ends meet, a number of shrimpers, fishing outfitters and other coastal residents are turning to food banks. is soliciting donations of food, money and time. The , serving the central Gulf Coast, needs volunteers to sort and inspect groceries daily in Mobile, Ala. Watch birds. The National Audubon Society has signed up more than 30,000 volunteers — although only a fraction of them have been deployed in the field. An opened recently in Moss Point, Miss., to keep volunteers in the loop. Limited opportunities include basic tasks. Volunteer photographers and filmmakers may also get occasional assignments to help document the effects of the disaster. More in demand are skilled amateur birders, who are needed to help monitor the effects of the spill on returning migratory birds, said Mark Lasalle, director of the affiliated Pascagoula River Audubon Center. The Audubon Coastal Bird Survey aims to gauge the effects of the spill on bird life along the Gulf, making it the newest of the society’s “citizen scientist” programs. Provide pro bono legal assistance. Residents affected by the spill will most likely face a complex legal process, including filing (or appealing) damage claims. Once disbursement of the $20 billion compensation fund is mapped out, legal aid groups anticipate a need for volunteer attorneys to consult with low-income residents and to lead community workshops. To volunteer, call the Mississippi Center for Justice at 288-435-7284. Give money. Cash donations to aid long-term recovery are appreciated. But beware: With disaster comes charity relief movements, and with charity relief movements comes, unfortunately, scam artists. If you make an online donation, be sure the website ends with ".org," not ".com." A good place to go is , which sifts through charities to evaluate their legitimacy. Your best bet may be to check whether national charitable organizations you normally support have a program targeting Gulf recovery. Or you can , which is channeling 100 percent of donations to groups aiding Gulf communities. Take a vacation. Just as New York City needed tourist dollars to help rebound after 9/11, and New Orleans after Katrina, so does the Gulf Coast need visitors now. Innkeepers, restaurateurs and seafood suppliers have seen their businesses put at risk. By helping them, you’ll help the region recover. Cancel You are leaving AARP.org and going to the website of our trusted provider. The provider’s terms, conditions and policies apply. Please return to AARP.org to learn more about other benefits. Your email address is now confirmed. You'll start receiving the latest news, benefits, events, and programs related to AARP's mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age. You can also by updating your account at anytime. You will be asked to register or log in. Cancel Offer Details Disclosures

Close In the next 24 hours, you will receive an email to confirm your subscription to receive emails related to AARP volunteering. Once you confirm that subscription, you will regularly receive communications related to AARP volunteering. In the meantime, please feel free to search for ways to make a difference in your community at Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again.