Connie Bunnell is ready for disaster — big or small.

But the American Red Cross disaster action team member is worried about the local Red Cross’s ability to respond to disaster since the local office will close its doors at the end of the year.

She isn’t concerned about the desire to help, but the ability to meet community needs if local Red Cross volunteers don’t have a local office. Bunnell said that with the local office closing, there is no place to store disaster supplies such as blankets and cots.

She also is worried about the ability to recruit additional volunteers. The loss of space means no classrooms for training. Oregon Pacific Chapter of the Red Cross District Director Jim Caplan echoes Bunnell’s worries.

“My greatest concern is finding a place where our disaster volunteers can meet and conduct their business, including training of new volunteers,” he said. “To meet the needs of Coos County residents, I’d like to see the numbers of well-trained volunteers double over the next year.”

The Red Cross is doing what it can. It has disaster-related training planned at the local office, 1165 Newmark Ave. in Coos Bay, until the end of the calendar year. Caplan is hopeful the organization will have a new training space before it vacates the office.

Caplan and others have put feelers in the water to meet the disaster volunteer corps needs. He said volunteers need full-time office space — about 100 square feet — to store and maintain disaster records and training materials. They also will require about 900 square feet for meetings and training, including CPR and First Aid.

“We have been talking to some possible partners, including the Coos Bay Fire and Rescue and local churches, but we have not reached any arrangements,” he said. “Everyone we have talked to has been kind, receptive and generous.”

The Red Cross has received a donation for storage, Caplan said, but it only meets about half of the organization’s needs.

“We would like to expand the amount of material stored in Coos County to be prepared to help county citizens in the event of a large disaster,” Caplan said. “So a 400-square-feet storage space with additional garage parking for two vehicles would work for us.”

Caplan said with donated space, Red Cross still would have to raise funds to cover costs such as utilities. If the space isn’t donated, then the cost goes up.

Even though the Red Cross is closing the local office and tasked with finding training and storage space, volunteers and Red Cross officials are dedicated to the South Coast.

“I want to reassure the public that the Red Cross will continue to provide disaster services in Coos County,” Caplan said.