Groton ― The American Red Cross for Connecticut and Rhode Island is holding its annual disaster training this weekend at Thrive55+ Active Living Center in Groton.

About 150 Red Cross Volunteers are attending the two day event, which started Saturday, to hone their skills and knowledge in disaster response.

The Disaster Training Institute offers 30 classes that volunteers can choose from, including Sheltering, Community Partnership, Disaster Action Team, Managing Disaster Workforce, How to Work with Communities, How to Work with Diverse Populations, Logistics Management Getting Supplies Where Needed and Disaster Mental Health.

The Red Cross says it is dealing with more frequent and intense disasters than in the past. The organization is working to recruit and train more volunteers and strengthen their workforce for disaster preparedness.