Volunteers are needed immediately and for weeks to come, say officials with the two agencies coordinating help for Mississippi River flood victims.

Both the Salvation Army and the American Red Cross are coordinating volunteer efforts.

Capt. Elmer Trapp of the Salvation Army said, "Right now the biggest thing we are working on is the sandbagging effort."

At Dutchtown, hundreds of volunteers have been working to build a sandbag levee in hopes of protecting the community southwest of Cape Girardeau.

Volunteers also are needed to help people evacuate their homes as the floodwaters rise. Trapp said trucks are needed too.

"As the situation develops, I know other needs will arise," said Trapp. "We'll need volunteers for those things too," he said.

Volunteers are asked to call the Salvation Army at 335-7000 before arriving at the sandbagging site or to volunteer for other services.

Mary Burton, executive director of the local Red Cross chapter, said two Red Cross volunteers have arrived in Cape Girardeau from Louisiana. But out-of-town help will likely be sparse.

"This disaster is unusual," Burton said. "Usually they would send an administrator from St. Louis to manage the situation. But those people are tied up with the (flood) disaster up there.

"Usually Red Cross volunteers can follow the floodwater, but the water has not started to recede up north as it is rising here. They are stretched to the max."

The result is that more local volunteers will be needed.

"We are taking this day by day," Burton said.

Immediately, volunteers are needed at the Red Cross to answer the telephone, run errands and take information from victims.

As the feeding program gears up, volunteers will be needed to help prepare food and drivers will be needed to take the food to victims and shelters.

"We we'll also need volunteers to do damage assessment," she said. "We have to have proven damage in order to provide help."

She said she hopes to have volunteers work short shifts, not the 12 and 14 hours that some disaster volunteers have put in.

"It's stressful and it's hard work," she said. "We are going to be at this for a long time; we don't want to burn people out."

To volunteer, call the Red Cross at 335-9471.

"When the floodwater recedes, our job will be even bigger," Burton said.

Both Burton and Trapp said the greatest need is for cash donations.

Because of the changing nature of the disaster, it is difficult to anticipate all the needs. Trapp said, for example, the Salvation Army has been feeding volunteers at the Dutchtown sandbagging operation. "That was not in our budget," he said.

Burton said, "I can't even hazard a guess what kind of dollar amount this disaster will cost."

Red Cross officials in St. Louis say the flood will be as devastating as Hurricane Andrew in Florida and will cost the Red Cross as much, if not more, she said.

The Red Cross is mandated by Congress to provide disaster assistance, but is funded entirely through private donations.

The Salvation Army, too, is funded through donations. Contributions can be mailed to Salvation Army, P.O. Box 802, Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63701.

Send donations to the Red Cross at 2610 Gerhardt, Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63701.

On Friday, employees of AmeriFirst Bank donated $250 toward the Red Cross flood-fighting effort and issued a challenge to other banks to match that amount.

Burton said the Red Cross does not collect used items like clothing for distribution because it's more cost effective to provide purchase orders for new items. "This way they can make specific purchases tailored to the particular disaster," she said.

Burton said new items offer a psychological boost to individuals who have just lost everything.

The Salvation Army routinely takes donations of used clothing, but is not looking for specific donations for flood victims.