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Disasters draw new helpers Ann Fenderson teaches volunteer training at the Medford Red Cross in Medford Wednesday morning. [Mail Tribune / Andy Atkinson] Wednesday Aug 30, 2017 at 5:27 PM Aug 30, 2017 at 6:07 PM Nick Morgan Mail Tribune @mtcrimebeat In the wake of numerous regional wildfires and a catastrophic hurricane in Texas displacing people from their homes, nearly three dozen Southern Oregonians turned out Wednesday to see how they could help. As the American Red Cross rushes to open hundreds of shelters in Texas and Louisiana needing thousands of volunteers, 33 locals new to the Red Cross packed Medford's office to sign up and learn the ropes behind volunteering for relief shelters. The turnout was more than double what organizers anticipated, according to Red Cross senior volunteer specialist Whitney Sweet. "We're expecting this to be larger than (Hurricane) Katrina," Sweet said of Hurricane Harvey. Among those answering the Red Cross call for the first time was Joanne Herbert of Medford, who said she's been a nurse for 44 years. "There's a lot of need for nurses right now," Herbert said, adding that she hopes to be able to help with hurricane relief within a week, though she has to coordinate with her work and family first. Volunteers available after the one-day intensive training will be put to use promptly, according to Brian Fenderson, a Red Cross volunteer from Salem who helped with the recruitment event. New volunteers available immediately could be deployed to Gold Beach by the weekend, while other volunteers could be sent to shelters in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, or Austin, Texas, within two weeks. The need for shelter volunteers could last months, Fenderson said. After the destruction of Hurricane Harvey, more than 250 emergency shelters have opened, the majority of them operated by the Red Cross. "Getting people trained — that's the biggest need right now," Fenderson said. "We're going to be mobilizing thousands of volunteers." The application process considers a volunteer's health to ensure that the disaster where they'll be deployed is a good fit. A volunteer with breathing problems, for example, may not do well with hazardous air quality at a wildfire shelter. New shelter volunteer Jim Maddux of Medford said he admired the level of detail and organization the Red Cross puts into placing volunteers based on their ability levels. Maddux, who once served on the local Red Cross board in the early 1980s, said that even though he's able to do heavy lifting, there's a place for volunteers who may have back problems or difficulty standing for long periods of time, such as check-in tables or even spritzing hand sanitizer so other volunteers can keep moving. "The sense you get is volunteers will be put to good use, and meaningful use — not just gophers," Maddux said. Volunteer signups had to be done on paper because outpourings of support around the country in the wake of the disaster crashed the Red Cross website, according to Sweet, who called it "a great problem to have." As of Wednesday afternoon, the website was back up, with a "please bear with us" note. Training covers typical shelter conditions and common hardships, according to Fenderson, who has volunteered for about seven years. Volunteers helping with Hurricane Harvey relief should be ready for heat, humidity and crowded conditions. Volunteers are unlikely to sleep in a hotel, but rather at a "staff shelter" on cots with a couple hundred other volunteers.  Despite the hardships, Fenderson said he enjoys volunteering. "It's just rewarding," Fenderson said. "It's absolutely rewarding to know you are helping in some way." Sweet said organizers are planning another recruiting and training event next week, though the schedule hasn't yet been set. Further information is available at www.redcross.org/volunteer. — Reach reporter Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @MTCrimeBeat.