A Red Cross instructor talks about disaster preparation during the day-long event. 

King Joseph Recreation Center in Jeanerette was the site of a unique American Red Cross training event Saturday that had the aim of training local residents in disaster assessment for the hurricane season.

Red Cross teamed up with A New Chapter Push and members of the community provide the day-long training session that educated participants in disaster action teams, shelter support and health services during disaster events like hurricanes.

Micah Nicholas with the Red Cross said the training session was a model the Red Cross was hoping bring across the state to add more volunteers to the Red Cross for disaster events.

“This is the first time we’re doing it here in Jeanerette,” Nicholas said. “We wanted to get the community here in Iberia Parish and Jeanerette to support the things that hurricane season brings up.”

Nicholas said similar training events are held in Baton Rouge, but because it is so centralized it has caused a lack of participation for those living in other parts of the state.

“We wanted to do a one-day thing so the local community can show up, people who can’t make it to Baton Rouge and we want to get this model going across the state.”

More than 50 volunteers showed up to the weekend event, and after training completion are now able to man Red Cross shelters and perform damage assessment to identify areas of the community that have been impacted by a disaster that are eligible for Red Cross, state and federal funding.

“We’re really grateful for the partnership with A New Chapter Push,” Nicholas said. “The mayors and Chamber of Commerce were also here. It’s a beautiful demonstration of the community coming together.”