Putnam County’s Volunteer Organization Expanding Role To Help With Emergencies

Putnam County’s Volunteer Organization wants to expand its role to help people plan for emergencies.

Director Randy Adams said the organization was started after the March 2020 tornado and was responsible for cleanup and reforestation efforts. He said the organization is still active today and they are prepared if another disaster occurs.

“We’re planning for next time that we hope never happens,” Adams said. “But in the coming months, you are going to see things from the Putnam County Volunteer Organization that will give you some safety tips on planning and getting your emergency plans in place.”

Adams said it is important to use what they learned from the 2020 tornado to improve and be an example for other volunteer groups.

“I’m taking my experience and what we learned then, and we learned a bunch, to get better,” Adams said. “And to also be a model for other places throughout the United States to stand up this type of civic response organization.”

Adams said there are currently people in place to handle housing, food, and equipment should the need arise again.

“We’ve got an organization right now of about 25 people right now that are all in place should the need arise,” Adams said. “To be able to respond and get us back up and running to where our volunteers can volunteer and help, and the people that need the help can receive it.

Adams said information about joining as a volunteer can be found on the Putnam County Website. He said there will be QR codes that will allow anyone to report damage or find more information about volunteering.