RED CROSS VOLUNTEER HEADS TO GEORGIA

Local American Red Cross volunteer Darlene MacCubbin leaves this morning for Georgia to help victims of flooding there.

MacCubbin is a veteran volunteer of the Southeast Missouri flooding last year. She is the only local volunteer called to duty in Georgia so far. Four others are on stand-by.

MacCubbin is scheduled to check in at the Red Cross flood headquarters in Columbus, Ga., today. She will work as either a family service technician or a service center supervisor.

A technician talks with families, assesses their needs and writes purchase orders so families can get what they need. A service center supervisor makes sure technicians are dealing correctly with victims and that the service center runs smoothly. MacCubbin has done both jobs.

Recently she worked with flash-flooding victims in St. Louis. She worked on flooding in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois throughout summer 1993.

"I expect to see lot of similar circumstances there as we had with the flooding along the Mississippi and the flash flooding last year," she said.

The devastation caused by flooding is traumatic for victims and volunteers, but MacCubbin said she likes to help.

"A lot of times someone just needs to vent, to talk about how they are feeling, she said. "A smile and a pat on the shoulder goes a long way with disaster victims. I enjoy helping someone get back on their feet."

MacCubbin will be in Georgia for a minimum of three weeks.

Mary Burton, executive director of the Cape Girardeau Red Cross office, said Red Cross has a nationwide network of volunteers, which allows different chapters to share resources. "We just do the good-neighbor policy, going out to help wherever we are needed," Burton said.

She said the sharing policy allows the agency to spend 93 cents of every dollar raised on services.

"Ninety percent of workers on a disaster scene are volunteers," she said. In Cape Girardeau last summer, some 200 volunteers worked from the local office every day along with three paid staff people.

Volunteers first receive disaster training, which is free, and then apply to be included in the national volunteer system. During a disaster, individuals with specific training and skills are asked to serve.

"To me, it is a great honor to be selected to go out on these jobs," Burton said. "It is also a very heavy responsibility."