MERRILLVILLE | Two Volunteer Reception Centers will open at noon today in Lake and Porter County to help organize the army of volunteers necessary to get the region back on its feet after devastating floods, United Way officials said Monday.

"We're in for the long haul, a very long haul," said Kathy Bonaventura, the volunteer center director of the United Way.

Kevin Cox, the executive director of Indiana Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters, said the area will need an "aggressive cleanup" that will likely take between 2 and 2.5 years.

The centers, in Muster and Portage, will serve as hubs for volunteers to be directed where to help and as a place for families to call and notify the United Way they need assistance. Centers will be located at the Lake Business Center, 9200 Calumet Ave., Suite N202, in Munster, and at the old Dollar General building, 6270 Central Ave., in Portage.

The phone number for the Munster location is (219) 836-5390; the phone for the Portage location is (219) 763-3292.

The centers will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.

Families needing help can also call 211.

Bonaventura said the centers will begin with volunteers who will assess homes and creating work orders. Once the United Way has the work order, a second group of volunteers will visit the home to actually begin the work. Bonaventura hopes to have volunteers working on homes as early as Wednesday.

Volunteers need to be at least 18 years old, and will have a short orientation and safety class before going to the homes, according to a statement from the United Way.

Initially, the United Way is looking for volunteers who can assist in assessing homes. She said some disaster experience is preferred, but training will be provided. Volunteers who call the centers to help will need to stop by to pick up supplies and a name tag and sign in. She said it's important for the volunteers to sign in because those numbers may turn into funding down the road.

Tom DeGiulio, Munster's town manager, said about 15 percent of the town has been hit by the floods and he expects several dozen homes to be completely lost. He said the creation of the centers will help town residents start getting back on track.

"It'll never be normal again, just different," he said.

Home Clean-up

Steve Cain, a disaster communication specialist with the Purdue University Extension, said families with flooded homes need to move slowly and not to seal up their homes before the moisture and mold has been removed. He said there is a free DVD available for download at http://www.extension.purdue.edu/eden and clicking on the Floods and Storms button. The DVD explains how to remove affected materials and how to clean to get rid of the mold.

Volunteer Centers

Lake Business Center

9200 Calumet Ave. Suite N202

Munster

(219) 836-5390

Old Dollar General Building

6270 Central Ave.

Portage

(219) 763-3292