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GREENSBORO – Since the earthquake hit Haiti last week, calls have flooded into the American Red Cross with people wanting to help. But helping in such a devastated area requires extensive training.

"We have had several calls from people being willing to go to Haiti to assist in the relief operation," Susan Smith, with the American Red Cross, said.

Smith is the Emergency Services Director for the Red Cross in Greensboro. She says she saw the same outpouring of volunteers when she was in New York City after the Sept. 11 attacks.

"We were processing up to 30,000 and 40,000 volunteers, Red Cross trained and also spontaneous," she explained.

But helping with a disaster where thousands are dead and many more are injured takes specialized training. And having untrained volunteers can cause some problems.

"That can become a small disaster in itself because you have to organize those volunteers, place them with the right jobs, so it is a process to get those folks placed and continue the work," she said.

That's why Smith says now is the time to get trained.

The Greensboro chapter of the American Red Cross is offering a disaster training course this Saturday. More than two dozen people have signed up and, officials say they've scheduled more classes because of the high response.

"We've seen a large increase in the number of people that have enrolled in that class. It's called Fulfilling our Mission, and it's our baseline course that explains how we work in the community, how we partner with other agencies during times of disaster, and that starts them on their path to become a disaster volunteer," Smith said.

And while helping during a disaster is no easy task, Smith says she is happy to see people still want to lend a hand.

"It's always heartwarming to see the generosity,” she said.