Amid Coronavirus Pandemic, Nonprofits Responding to Hurricanes and Other Disasters Face Volunteer, Funding Shortages

Volunteers are the core of disaster relief, handing out food and water, manning shelters, collecting donations and providing financial and emotional support.

"After disasters, we do tend to see a lot of people wanting to volunteer, but this is a very different circumstance," Jeff Schlegelmilch, director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University, told weather.com.

Retirees and older people, in particular, make up the bulk of the disaster response force for agencies like the Red Cross and the Medical Reserve Corps.

"The problem with COVID-19 is those who are older ... are actually disproportionately higher risk in terms of severe complications of the disease, so these are quite possibly some of the last people you’d want to put on the first lines of this, because of the severe outcomes that they’re more likely to experience."

(MORE: Red Cross Overhauls Evacuation Shelter Guidelines Because of Coronavirus Pandemic)

In a typical year, more than 5 million people step forward to assist in disaster relief efforts, according to National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters, a coalition that includes major players like the Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity and the Salvation Army. NVOAD president Greg Forrester told the New York Times he expects the number this year to be less than half of that.

The shortage could be a harsh reality check for areas threatened by storms this weekend. In Hawaii, where Hurricane Douglas could strike, the director of the American Red Cross, Pacific Islands Region says her organization has lost 70% of its volunteers.

“We’re hoping this ends up being a good dry run and not the real thing, but we have to take it seriously and be prepared,” Diane Peters-Nguyen told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

National Red Cross spokesperson Greta Gustafson said the agency is working to mobilize younger helpers.

"Our volunteer base does have a variety of ages, but we do have a large older population," Gustafson said in an interview with weather.com. "So it is important that we get those younger volunteers engaged."

The huge masses of volunteers that flood into disaster zones could also be affected by limits on gatherings, quarantine rules or other coronavirus restrictions when traveling from one state to another.

The Red Cross assists with more than 60,000 disasters across the country each year. Many of them are smaller in scale, like individual house fires or localized flooding. While there hasn't been a major weather disaster response yet in 2020, Gustafson said the daily work done by volunteers is helping them adjust to serving in the age of coronavirus.

More volunteers offer support virtually now, for example. Disaster victims might receive mental health counseling via video teleconference or sign up for financial assistance over the phone.

"So it’ll definitely be a bit of a hybrid approach that we’re looking at here," Gustafson said of anticipated disaster relief efforts as the year goes on.

"We have had an overwhelming response of our volunteers who are still wanting to step up and help because that’s what we see with our volunteer force again and again. But because we will be relying on those local volunteers first, that’s where we’ll be looking toward these hurricane-prone states, these wildfire-prone areas and encouraging people to volunteer, get that training done now so they’ll be able to help their neighbors when they’re in need," Gustafson said.

"We are relying on that local first response," she added. "That’s going to be our first line of response, our first strategy."

(MORE: Why August Marks the Beginning of What Is Typically the Busiest Part of Hurricane Season)

With fundraisers canceled and corporate donations drying up, budget cuts are a reality for all types of charities. Sixty-four percent of nonprofit leaders feel their organization's long-term financial stability is threatened by COVID-19, according to a poll by the Nonprofit Finance Fund.

Many respondents said their organization was stretched thin responding to coronavirus, or their employees and volunteers were directly affected by the economic impacts of the pandemic.

Habitat for Humanity International, which in 2017 repaired or rebuilt more than 500 homes in areas affected by hurricanes Harvey and Irma in Texas and Florida and provided assistance to thousands of people after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, has scaled back its efforts this year due to funding. The organization laid off 10% of its staff and others have seen their salaries reduced. The majority of Habitat's construction projects were put on hold in April.

For the Red Cross, the biggest need is shelter volunteers. More shelters are needed to accommodate social distancing among evacuees, which means more manpower to run them. Volunteers are also needed to screen entrants for COVID-19.

"Those are going to be some of our most critical volunteers to have in the local community," said Gustafson.

(MORE: In the Era of Coronavirus and Social Distancing, Is It Safe To Go To A Hurricane Shelter?)

The Red Cross in South Florida is advertising for health care workers to help in shelters, while one Red Cross official in Texas, where Tropical Storm Hanna is expected to impact this weekend, said hundreds of people were needed to help there.

"We're looking for approximately 700 volunteers to help support any particular kind of action that we have during hurricane season," Ekland Durousseau with the American Red Cross Texas Gulf Coast Region told KTRK-TV. "And the reason we need so many volunteers is because we're increasing the number of our traditional shelter sizes."

Schlegelmilch said he anticipates hyperlocal charities like churches will still be heavily involved in disaster response for their communities, but those that depend heavily on volunteers need to consider other options.

"The pressures are on all sides of the equation for our volunteers, and any planning that is over-reliant on volunteers could be in a tough spot," said Schlegelmilch. "And the larger the disaster, the tougher spot that they could end up in."

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.