VERO BEACH — As the hurricane season begins, a new organization dedicated to making certain that Indian River County disaster relief is organized and maximally effective has just started to get off the ground.
SAFER Indian River County is a network of community groups, government agencies, businesses, faith based organizations, and individuals who come together in times of need to help disaster victims recover and mitigate losses.
The SAFER (the Support Alliance For Emergency Resiliency) mission is to foster efficient, streamlined service delivery to those affected by disaster while eliminating unnecessary duplication of effort.
SAFER has now been awarded its 501(c)(3) status, allowing it to take donations that can be used toward expanding its services.
It is important to note that not all disasters are of significant impact enough to be declared a federal disaster, and in many cases federal and state assistance programs may not be available.
Under new Florida guidelines, even the National Guard will only be available for a short period of time. SAFER will be there to help Indian River County recover using the whole community approach.
In the event of a disaster, the goal of SAFER IRC is to get people back into their homes and businesses open as soon as possible.
It will do this by facilitating communication and coordination amongst all nonprofit organizations, the faith based community, businesses, and governmental agencies to get resources needed and by providing a conduit for those wanting to volunteer those goods and services.
SAFER is currently starting an outreach program to announce its mission to the county to enlist volunteers. Business owners, community leaders, and non-profit administrators, as well as concerned citizens, can help by volunteering to staff phone banks or other activities as needed.
Volunteers must be over age 18 or accompanied by an adult.
Individuals may register in advance by contacting Eve Balance of the United Way of Indian River County at (772) 567-8900 ext. 20.
If a disaster strikes, a volunteer reception center will be set up and activated at the United Way, which is located at 1836 14th Ave. in Vero Beach.
For more information, please contact Lisa Poziomek, SAFER Chairperson, by calling (772) 633-1284 or by email at LisaP@SaferIndianRiver.org.