KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — The Michigan 2-1-1 network and Gryphon Place in Kalamazoo are answering the call to help Florida residents impacted by Hurricane Ian.
As of Tuesday, October 4 Michigan 2-1-1 has taken over 1,700 calls since Thursday, September 29, with the Gryphon Place team, including Toledo 2-1-1, putting in more than 325 hours assisting callers.
Officials say most of the calls that come in are related to shelter and housing, sandbags or other storm supplies, evacuation routes and road closures along with basic needs such as food or clothing, medical supplies, Red Cross support, and emotional and crisis support.
“Our staff have been phenomenal throughout this whole process,” said Vice President of Technology and 2-1-1 Operations at Gryphon Place, Emily Ruckel. “They were quickly mobilized and trained to field a lot of very difficult and often emotional calls.”
Runkle went onto say that one of the most power facets of 2-1-1 are the people behind the calls.
“When you contact 2-1-1, you will reach a trained staff person who can help you navigate resources and in those times of disaster and crisis, our staff provide a much needed empathetic and calm voice on the other end of the line,” said Ruckel.
The 2-1-1 system itself has also been used for several Michigan disasters to including tornadoes, the Flint water crisis, severe flooding in the Midland/Bay area, Southeast Michigan flooding, as well as other national disasters.
2-1-1 is staffed 365 days a year and is accessible by text, phone, and web.
