Volunteer ‘Disaster Junkies’ Assume Key Role in Relief Efforts

A growing group of volunteers who provide labor and expertise at U.S. disaster sites have taken on a major role in the nation’s emergency-aid network, writes the Associated Press.

The umbrella group National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster estimates that thousands of such volunteers, which relief charities have nicknamed “disaster junkies,” spend as much as six months a year on the road doing clean-up and rebuilding work in areas devastated by tornadoes, hurricanes, and wildfires.

Major post-disaster work would be much harder without the “junkies,” who bring valuable knowledge and experience to disaster sites, said Dan Burton, a project manager with Samaritan’s Purse. “There’s an array of jobs to do, and they’re just willing to do whatever it is that we have to do,” he said.