UPDATE FROM ORIGINAL POST: When we first posted this a few hours ago, it was a forwarded request for volunteers to go help Hurricane Ike survivors. We have since been contacted by the source of the e-mail saying they are overwhelmed with volunteers and don’t need any more for what that solicitation specifically mentioned – but they DO have a different need:

… we are in need of volunteers who would be interested in becoming part of our local emergency response effort. We may not have hurricanes around here but we face floods, windstorms, fires and the ever present threat of an earthquake. When these events happen we will need trained personnel to handle the response until support form other parts of the country can get here. If individuals are interested in becoming part of our response team they should go to www.seattleredcross.org, and follow the “Get Involved” link to get connected to our volunteer recruiters.