NEW IBERIA, La. — Iberia Parish is recruiting volunteers to assist the community during natural disasters as hurricane season begins Monday.
The parish government is seeking residents willing to help neighbors when disaster strikes, according to Brandon Migues, director of homeland security and emergency preparedness for Iberia Parish Government.
"It's your next door neighbors you're helping. It's the single parent down the street that's struggling because they have kids to deal with," Migues said. "That's the message we wanna get across."
The parish is looking for new recruits to lend a helping hand throughout the community when it's at its most vulnerable. To sign up, you can click here.
"Volunteers are good at that because they know the community, they know their neighborhood, they know people, they have a network of people, they may have a network through their employment, and it's a little easier for the volunteers to be able to do those types of things," Migues said.
The Iberia Parish Government has been working on boosting community resilience for the last 10 years, particularly related to natural disasters.
"I know this is hurricane season, but it's not just hurricanes — it's any type of...hazards, right?" Migues said. "So it can be a chemical spill, it can be a train derailment. In 2022, we had a tornado hit. It can be anything like that."
Local manpower goes a long way when devastation hits, Migues said. Government agencies may be bound by protocol and timelines, but when it comes to a local relief effort, a strong network of volunteers can help get the job done much faster.
"Where's that connection? The connection is, it's somebody you know that you're helping within your community, right? And it's making the community stronger because when the community helps itself, it's always in a better position," Migues said.
