20140929 afterthebigguys
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This document summarizes a presentation about opportunities for individuals and small groups to get involved in disaster relief efforts after larger aid organizations have left. It discusses training with established organizations, addressing unmet needs, avoiding negative impacts, and making initial contact with local emergency managers. The presentation aims to provide guidance on fitting into the disaster response landscape in a helpful way.
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20140929 afterthebigguys
- 1. Leslie Wilson Nazar Valiev Sino Zamonov After the Big Guys Go Home Serve in Disaster, LLC SiD/Tajikistan Discover Opportunities To Help After Disaster Strikes Contact Information Leslie@ServeInDisaster.org (+001) 202.744.1115 Skype: leslielwilson Presenters:
- 2. Why are you in this room? What drew you to this session? What do you hope to get out of it? What is your background – if any – in disaster relief? Big Guys: WELCOME Serve in Disaster, LLC SiD/Tajikistan After the Big Guys Go Home: Why Are We Here? Disaster relief work is a calling. It is NOT for everyone.
- 3. Serve in Disaster, LLC SiD/Tajikistan Serve in Disaster, LLC SiD/Tajikistan out-of-the-box radical thinking for the disaster recovery landscape After the Big Guys Go Home: The Lay of the Land In the Best of Worlds Hot Wash: West Virginia USA 2009 Hot Wash: Pamir Mountains, Tajikistan 2010 Unmet Needs Emergency Management Cycle: Participation Dynamics Can Helping Hurt? Big Guy Survey Results – Invite to Participate Fitting into the Disaster Landscape Tabletop Landscaping Wrap Up
- 4. Disaster Relief It’s chaos but it’s organized chaos - a Red Cross Human Resources Manager at H. Wilma After the Big Guys Go Home: In the Best of Worlds No “spontaneous” volunteers: What are spontaneous volunteers? What do you do with spontaneous volunteers? Can spontaneous volunteers can actually hinder efforts? When disaster hits, anyone desiring to help would: Already be trained Deploy with a group who knows: o what they are doing o how to use the skills of each volunteer But then we’d have organization instead of chaos In the best of worlds In the best of worlds Serve in Disaster, LLC SiD/Tajikistan
- 5. After the Big Guys Go Home: In the Best of Worlds: Training & Experience Serve in Disaster, LLC SiD/Tajikistan Get training & experience under some of the best Big Guys in the field: Red Cross/Red Crescent Medical Reserve Corps CERT AmeriCorps Samaritan’s Purse Aga Khan Foundation Muslims HODR Fire & Rescue Religious organizations or humanitarian associations …or you may want to help them start one… Be prepared! Don’t expect to join after a disaster hits. Most of these groups want their people trained before disaster strikes
- 6. After the Big Guys Go Home: In the Best of Worlds: The Ideal Volunteer Finding your ideal volunteer position: Can you make any meaningful, welcomed contribution if you are not tied in with one of these larger NGOs? Your background Your interests Kind of work you would like to do (or not do) Limitations Serve in Disaster, LLC SiD/Tajikistan
- 7. After the Big Guys Go Home: Hot Wash: West Virginia, USA 2009 Floods West Virginia,USA 2009 SitRep Lessons Learned Best Practices Serve in Disaster, LLC SiD/Tajikistan
- 8. After the Big Guys Go Home: Hot Wash: Pamirs, Tajikistan 2010 Earthquake Pamir Mountains, Tajikistan 2010 SitRep Lessons Learned Best Practices Serve in Disaster, LLC SiD/Tajikistan
- 9. After the Big Guys Go Home: Emergency Management Cycle Participation Emergency Management Cycle Disaster Response Urgent, temporary emergency aid Provider-recipient dynamic Serve in Disaster, LLC SiD/Tajikistan Recovery Mitigation Preparedness Partner dynamic Response Recovery Disaste r Preparedness Mitigation
- 10. After the Big Guys Go Home: Unmet Needs – Addressing the Underlying Cause Disaster is filled with unmet needs Disaster Big Needs Shelter Food Road Repair Other Needs Shuttling, errand running Personal item replacement Childcare Senior care Personal communi-cations Big Guys handle huge needs Little Guys find niches Unnoticed Unrelated insignificant Other Serve in Disaster, LLC SiD/Tajikistan
- 11. After the Big Guys Go Home: Unmet Needs – Downward Spiral Needs resulting from disaster Needs predating the disaster Serve in Disaster, LLC SiD/Tajikistan Disaster’s Downward Spiral Life may return to normal . . . but what if normal stinks?
- 12. After the Big Guys Go Home: Can Helping Hurt? Serve in Disaster, LLC SiD/Tajikistan Lessons Learned Best Practices The participation of disaster-affected people – including the vulnerable groups – in the • assessment, • development, • implementation and • monitoring of responses should be maximized to ensure the appropriateness and quality of any disaster response. - Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response, The Sphere Project
- 13. After the Big Guys Go Home: Can Helping Hurt? Holistic Approach to Community Partnering Economic Systems * * o Social System Religious System Political System Serve in Disaster, LLC SiD/Tajikistan
- 14. Serve in Disaster, LLC SiD/Tajikistan Big Guy Survey Results A work in progress Survey of various personnel around the nation in emergency management. They responded to the following questions: • Exact work they can do (skills, equipment, level of expertise, …) • How many people they can provide • When they would be available for work and for how long • Be totally self contained (need no housing, food, ...) • Leave no footprint except improvement When talking with FEMA, it was suggested that an independent group might contact EM in the area hit several weeks after the disaster (when big NGOs had left, media forgot) to see if there are any unmet needs. The group should be able to state: Is this a group you’d want to work with? Any particular skills most needed? Any other suggestions? After the Big Guys Go Home: Big Guys Speak Out
- 15. After the Big Guys Go Home: Big Guys Speak Out Serve in Disaster, LLC SiD/Tajikistan Big Guy Survey Results What type of help generally would be most appreciated? Providing resources or services for disaster survivors: • Gift cards • Food • Clothing • Personal /home items (appliances, toys, …) • Tools, computers, office supplies, … • Post-disaster cleanup • Vehicle/phone/computer services • Other _____________________________ Providing services or resources for responders: • Office help • Shuttling, communications • Work gloves, cleanup supplies, etc. • Food • Entertainment • Other _____________________________
- 16. After the Big Guys Go Home: Big Guys Speak Out Serve in Disaster, LLC SiD/Tajikistan Big Guy Survey Results If a small group or individual wanted to offer assistance after a disaster, whom should they contact: • Emergency manager (county level, city, …) • Red Cross • Social Services (government, NGO, …) • Other ____________________________ When would you likely be most interested in such help (given typical disasters you are likely to deal with): • Immediately after disaster • One week after • One month after • As soon as outside NGOs, agencies leave • Other ____________________________
- 17. After the Big Guys Go Home: Fitting into the Disaster Landscape Serve in Disaster, LLC SiD/Tajikistan Brainstorm Questions: •What are the needs that are often unmet? •How can average people help meet those needs? •Should they even try to meet some of those needs? •What approach to use? •Who do they approach to get started? Don’t let your desire to help fade with the news coverage: •Follow the news as relief efforts unfold •Look for the unmet needs •Think of ways you, your associates might fill unmet needs •Build a comprehensive plan while initial relief efforts flow So how do you translate all this into a formula that will let you fit into the disaster landscape? Serve in Disaster, LLC SiD/Tajikistan
- 18. After the Big Guys Go Home: Fitting into the Disaster Landscape – A Plan Recovery Plan Components List perceived unmet needs Brainstorm how your group may help meet these needs: Meet or call regularly in early days of the disaster List your KSAs: skills, knowledge, and abilities for each person Go through the rest of the list at each discussion Whittle out impractical options Follow news, updates, sources to see if these needs continue Serve in Disaster, LLC SiD/Tajikistan
- 19. After the Big Guys Go Home: Fitting into the Disaster Landscape - Whittling Whittling Down Your List of Unmet Needs With a list of candidate needs, determine: Skills required Resources required Time needed to implement a solution Will it require being on site? YES - How big is your footprint? NO – How well can you do the work remotely? Do you need to involve other players? Other Ideas? Serve in Disaster, LLC SiD/Tajikistan
- 20. After the Big Guys Go Home: Fitting into the Disaster Landscape - Contact First Contact Making a Good First Impression So you found some need not being met The initial media attention has disappeared The Big Guys have mostly gone home Now how do you make First Contact? Serve in Disaster, LLC SiD/Tajikistan Find several likely contacts: • Local emergency manager – county, city • Local houses of worship • Active coordinators you may have seen in the news • Person/organization related to the work you hope to do
- 21. After the Big Guys Go Home: Fitting into the Disaster Landscape - Elevator Speech Polish Your Elevator Speech (don’t waste anyone’s time.) •contact your selected POC •briefly state the services you can offer: Serve in Disaster, LLC SiD/Tajikistan number of persons skill sets equipment range of dates available state that you will not be dependent on any local services (provide your own food, accommodations, etc.) Leave no footprint except improvement “Can you use our help?” “If not, can you recommend another organization, person who might want our help?” “May we leave our contact information in case a need develops where we may help?” “Thank you for your time and best wishes to you and your community.”
- 23. Expectations Met? In the Best of Worlds: the Ideal? Lessons Learned in West VA Lessons Learned and Applied: Pamirs, Tajikistan Addressing Unmet Needs Helping without Hurting Big Guys Speaking Out How You Fit into Disaster Landscape Serve in Disaster, LLC SiD/Tajikistan Thorough research Objective assessment of what you can offer Logistical organization Respectful approach you may not only find your niche in the disaster response landscape scarey thought for the day but You may some day be one of the Big Guys! After the Big Guys Go Home: Wrap Up
- 24. Serve in Disaster, LLC SiD/Tajikistan Thank you for all you do! Or soon will do to be continued After the Big Guys Go Home: Our Thanks!
- 25. Serve in Disaster, LLC SiD/Tajikistan After the Big Guys Go Home: Thanks to FEMA A Whole Community Approach to Emergency Management: Principles, Themes, and Pathways for Action FEMA 12/2011 Whole Community Principles: • Understand and meet the actual needs of the whole community. • Engage and empower all parts of the community. • Strengthen what works well in communities on a daily basis.
- 26. Serve in Disaster, LLC SiD/Tajikistan After the Big Guys Go Home: Thanks to FEMA A Whole Community Approach to Emergency Management: Principles, Themes, and Pathways for Action FEMA 12/2011 Whole Community Strategic Themes: • Understand community complexity. • Recognize community capabilities and needs. • Foster relationships with community leaders. • Build and maintain partnerships. • Empower local action. • Leverage and strengthen social infrastructure, networks, and assets.
- 27. Be sure to check out all our photo presentations on Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/LLWilson/ For a fact sheet on our current work, The Village Stove Project or to explore other ways in which you or your organization can partner in this effort: Contact: Leslie L. Wilson Mobile: +001 202 744 1115 (until Return to Central Asia) Email: Leslie@ServeInDisaster.org Skype: LeslieLWilson LinkedIn: Leslie L Wilson Serve in Disaster www.linkedin.com/pub/leslie-l-wilson/32/69a/556/ Facebook, Twitter, and our website are currently being retooled for the return.
Editor's Notes
- Fast forward: 2 years
- Unrelated to NGO mandate At this conference, many excellent organizations mount Herculean efforts to bring order to the chaos which follows in the wake of disasters. This talk bows to their efforts and seeks the little niches of disaster that often go unnoticed …Or linger long after the major work is done. Samaritan’s Purse – donations of supplies for in the field: work gloves, (ASK SamP)
- In parts of the USA where resources may not be so readily available, survivors of disaster may not be able to recover to the pre-disaster levels. The poor may sink deeper imto poverty. Disaster is filled with unmet needs Needs resulting from disaster Many met over time Some may not be met Disaster’s Downward Spiral Disaster is filled with unmet needs Needs predating the disaster Impoverished communities – “disaster’ is the norm Return life to normal…but what if normal stinks?
- In impoverished communities, “disaster” exists before any storm strikes. A torrent of basic needs go unmet before the flood rushes into these communities. The large organizations and agencies may do their best to return life to normal…but what if normal stinks?
- In impoverished communities, “disaster” exists before any storm strikes. A torrent of basic needs go unmet before the flood rushes into these communities. The large organizations and agencies may do their best to return life to normal…but what if normal stinks?
- Skills required does your group possess needed skills? Resources required – Can you supply all needed items to accomplish task? Time needed to implement a solution – will this fit in time framework for your group’s personal schedules? For the community’s need? Will it require being on site? Can you provide all your own resources so the community is not negatively impacted by your presence? … or can the work be done by Internet, phone, mail, etc? Do you need to involve other players? Stores to provide goods, local sources of information in the stricken community? ______________________ In impoverished communities, “disaster” exists before any storm strikes. A torrent of basic needs go unmet before the flood rushes into these communities. The large organizations and agencies may do their best to return life to normal…but what if normal stinks?
- In impoverished communities, “disaster” exists before any storm strikes. A torrent of basic needs go unmet before the flood rushes into these communities. The large organizations and agencies may do their best to return life to normal…but what if normal stinks?
- Based in part on advice from a FEMA VAL
- In impoverished communities, “disaster” exists before any storm strikes. A torrent of basic needs go unmet before the flood rushes into these communities. The large organizations and agencies may do their best to return life to normal…but what if normal stinks?
- Whole Community Principles: Understand and meet the actual needs of the whole community. Community engagement can lead to a deeper understanding of the unique and diverse needs of a population, including its demographics, values, norms, community structures, networks, and relationships. The more we know about our communities, the better we can understand their real-life safety and sustaining needs and their motivations to participate in emergency management-related activities prior to an event. Engage and empower all parts of the community. Engaging the whole community and empowering local action will better position stakeholders to plan for and meet the actual needs of a community and strengthen the local capacity to deal with the consequences of all threats and hazards. This requires all members of the community to be part of the emergency management team, which should include diverse community members, social and community service groups and institutions, faith-based and disability groups, academia, professional associations, and the private and nonprofit sectors, while including government agencies who may not traditionally have been directly involved in emergency management. When the community is engaged in an authentic dialogue, it becomes empowered to identify its needs and the existing resources that may be used to address them. Strengthen what works well in communities on a daily basis. A Whole Community approach to building community resilience requires finding ways to support and strengthen the institutions, assets, and networks that already work well in communities and are working to address issues that are important to community members on a daily basis. Existing structures and relationships that are present in the daily lives of individuals, families, businesses, and organizations before an incident occurs can be leveraged and empowered to act effectively during and after a disaster strikes.
- In addition to the three Whole Community principles, six strategic themes were identified through research, discussions, and examples provided by emergency management practitioners. These themes speak to the ways the Whole Community approach can be effectively employed in emergency management and, as such, represent pathways for action to implement the principles. Understand community complexity: Understand Community “DNA” Learn how communities’ social activity is organized and how needs are met under normal conditions. A better understanding of how segments of the community resolve issues and make decisions—both with and without government as a player—helps uncover ways to better meet the actual needs of the whole community in times of crisis. Recognize community capabilities and needs: Recognize Community Capabilities and Broaden the Team Recognize communities’ private and civic capabilities, identify how they can contribute to improve pre- and post-event outcomes, and actively engage them in all aspects of the emergency management process. Plan for the Real Plan for what communities will really need should a severe event occur and not just for the existing resources on hand. Foster relationships with community leaders: Meet People Where They Are Engage communities through the relationships that exist in everyday settings and around issues that already have their attention and drive their interactions. Connect the social, economic, and political structures that make up daily life to emergency management programs Build Trust through Participation Successfully collaborating with community leaders to solve problems for non-emergency activities builds relationships and trust over time. As trust is built, community leaders can provide insight into the needs and capabilities of a community and help to ramp up interest about emergency management programs that support resiliency. Build and maintain partnerships: Partners to Consider Engaging Community councils Volunteer organizations (e.g., local Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, Community Emergency Response Team programs, volunteer centers, State and County Animal Response Teams, etc.) Faith-based organizations Individual citizens Community leaders (e.g., representatives from specific segments of the community, including seniors, minority populations, and non-English speakers) Disability services School boards Higher education institutions Local Cooperative Extension System offices Animal control agencies and animal welfare organizations Surplus stores Hardware stores Big-box stores Small, local retailers Supply chain components, such as manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, and logistics providers Home care services Medical facilities Government agencies (all levels and disciplines) Embassies Local Planning Councils (e.g., Citizen Corps Councils, Local Emergency Planning Committees) Chambers of commerce Nonprofit organizations Advocacy groups Media outlets Airports Public transportation systems Utility providers And many others… Create Space at the Table Open up the planning table and engage in the processes of negotiation, discussion, and decision making that govern local residents under normal conditions. Encourage community members to identify additional resources and capabilities. Promote broader community participation in planning and empower local action to facilitate buy-in. Empower local action: Let Public Participation Lead Enable the public to lead, not follow, in identifying priorities, organizing support, implementing programs, and evaluating outcomes. Empower them to draw on their full potential in developing collective actions and solutions. Leverage and strengthen social infrastructure, networks, and assets: Strengthen Social Infrastructure Align emergency management activities to support the institutions, assets, and networks that people turn to in order to solve problems on a daily basis.