SAN DIEGO -- San Diego County's 211 call center is experiencing a high volume of calls from people requesting H1N1 information. The center's director told 10News the number of calls has not been this high since the 2007 wildfires, and some say the extra calls are causing some problems.

Operators at San Diego's 211 call center are bombarded with calls about the H1N1 flu. In the 10 days after the vaccine's release, they handled nearly 13,000 calls -- almost 50 percent more than the same period in 2008.

"We consider this disaster mode for us, which means changes. The staff is working overtime," said Mona Freels, director of 211 San Diego.

Twenty operators man the nonprofit around the clock, with thousands of county resources at their fingertips. Everything from help with utility bills and child care, to disaster information is available.

However, most calls have been about the swine flu recently. Dozens of people remain on hold, with wait times almost 15 minutes.

"Callers want to know the hours of operation for the different public health centers and also the locations. Pregnant women are wanting to know if the vaccines are mercury free," said Lynetta Ratliff, 211 San Diego operator.

What many do not realize is the information is available on the 211 San Diego Web site, and users can go online to save time. For now, the center's director needs volunteers to handle the massive number of calls pouring in.

"Because on top of the calls we're getting about the H1N1, the regular day-to-day calls don't stop; people still need food or housing," said Freels.