North Hills Community Outreach, founded to help flood victims in 1986, is again asking residents to volunteer whatever they can to help neighbors in Etna, Shaler, Hampton and Millvale.

"We're organizing to assist the flood victims as we did when our organization was formed," said Fay Morgan, director of the outreach organization.

Since the flood waters from Hurricane Ivan reached catastrophic levels Friday, the organization has received hundreds of calls from North Hills families in need, Morgan said, "and many calls from people who want to help as well," she added.

"We received our first donation of $1,000 from a man in Etna whose business was not affected. I thought that was very heartening."

And the agency has done it despite its own hardship: The first floor and basement of its Millvale satellite office were submerged in floodwaters, destroying the contents of four offices.

The organization put out a call for help on Saturday, and within hours a crew of 25 volunteers responded.

"We got everything donated to get us back up and running," said Morgan, "so we're pretty well taken care of to care for others."

Morgan stressed that the need for donations is tremendous. "In the 1986 flood, it took us $40,000, which mostly went for furnace and hot water heater repair and replacement. There are many more families affected this time around.

"Add to that the rate of inflation and the fact that winter's coming, and it's obvious that we must work in a timely manner, because we need to get those furnaces replaced.

"We're working with some great heating and air conditioning companies for cost-effectiveness, but massive amounts of money will be needed."

Community outreach members are organizing work crews to help with cleanup. However, many homes will not be habitable for some time.

One problem that can cause is a need for space to store donated goods and appliances. "Northway mall is giving us storage space," Morgan said, "but if people could let us know what they have and hold it for a few weeks, that would be the best."

One need that is immediate, though, is food for the organization's Hampton food bank. A complete list of items needed will be regularly updated on the organization's Web site: www.nhco.org.

"Our work day-in and day-out is sort of draining, and to put this on top of it [is hard]," Morgan acknowledged. "But that's what we're here for, and we expect everyone to work together over the long haul. We know we're equal to the task."

To donate furniture or appliances, call North Hills Community Outreach at 412-487-6316. Checks and money orders may be sent to 1975 Ferguson Road, Allison Park, PA 15101.