Articles
AIRS Disaster Preparedness Task Force
Warren Nance, Chair
Ola
Ka Uhane (the spirit lives ... Presents,
in outline form, a series of areas of concern
which I&R agencies should consider in making long-range disaster
response plans. Items
discussed in some detail include: relationships with other I&R
providers, major disaster response agencies, the media, and
community-wide volunteer efforts; agency facility issues;
communication, volunteer involvement within the referral agency;
staff issues, and special roles for the referral agency during times
of disaster. Roles
which AIRS might play in disaster preparedness and member agency
training and coordination are also discussed.
This document has been formally approved by the AIRS
Executive Board.
Disasters,
natural and/or man made, are all too frequent an occurrence in this
world. Whether it is an
earthquake, a fire, a flood, a riot, a hurricane or something else
of equal community or area wide consequence, the results are
generally much the same: destruction causing radical disruption in
the lives and processes of the people of the area.
Basic survival issues are initially at stake.
Once basic services are back in place, the longer term issues
of permanent physical, financial and emotional stability
predominate.
Much
of the quality of an area's recovery from a disaster depends heavily
upon the accuracy of information, guidance, and assistance
individuals receive to resolve the above mentioned problems.
At the heart of that quality recovery should be the local
area information and referral program.
After all, what is information and referral all about if it
is not about accurate information, relevantly shared which,
therefore, results in empowerment?
What
follows is an outline listing those above mentioned realities.
It is intentionally set as an outline to pinpoint areas of
concern rather than a detailed "how to" model. Each community is different and while the issues raised are
relevant for any community, the specific "how to" will
vary as much as communities vary.
There are numerous individuals around the country who are
willing to provide specific guidance on how these realities were
developed in their particular communities.
A. Relationships:
There
are critical relationships which need to be developed and
functioning as well oiled machines long before a disaster occurs in
an area. Those
relationships could fall into at least four categories.
1
. A Network of Local I&R Providers:
Every
community has a multitude of programs providing I&R to both
general and special populations.
Do you know who they are in your community?
Are you meeting and talking on a regular basis?
Have you discussed and developed a plan for communication,
cooperation, coordination and division of labor among yourselves if
a disaster occurs in your community?
It's
a whole lot easier to be talking and have some common sense of
roles/responsibilities in the event of a disaster well in place
before the fact instead of after the fact.
No one I&R alone, no matter how effective it is, can
handle the response to a major disaster.
The issues are multiple, and the needs of special populations
are critical. Be ready
ahead of time!
There
are regular players who will appear as part of the response effort
at almost every disaster. While
it will be much easier and more realistic to establish ongoing
relationships with some of these entities rather than others, it is
critical to understand who they are, what their capacities are, and
how to establish either an ongoing or an immediate/temporary
relationship with them.
The
primary responder with which a local I&R program should be
connected is the local area Emergency Operations Center or Command (EOC).
The EOC is generally an ongoing body responsible for the
development, maintenance, upgrading and implementation of the area's
disaster response plan. A
local I&R program (network) should seek to be a player in that
group so they can be part of the planning and part of the
communication network if/when a disaster occurs.
Other
major groups are: the military (including the state-controlled
National Guard), FEMA, the Red Cross, Salvation Army, city
government, county government, state government, and (where the
I&R program is not an internal function of United Way) United
Way. It may not be
realistic to develop ongoing relationships with each of these
organizations, but it is critical to know what each of them is/is
not capable of doing, when they will appear on the scene and for how
long, and how an immediate line of communication can be established
with them. In addition,
established relationships with both the phone company (emergency
phone service) and the police (curfew, general knowledge of
I&R), will be very significant.
3. The Media:
Relationships
with the media are critical for at least two reasons: the collection
and dissemination of accurate relief response information.
With the occurrence of a disaster and the initial time of
relief response immediately following a disaster,
4. Community Volunteer Relief Efforts:
Apart
from the clearly identified disaster relief organizations, many
other volunteer, religious and civic organizations/coalitions in the
community will desire and have the ability to provide considerable
assistance. These
organizations and their resources may be invaluable in filling gap
needs in the response system or unique needs that an established
system may have difficulty responding to. For that to occur
effectively, some sort of loose-knit structure with clear lines of
communication must be established prior to the disaster.
Establishing a concept like a non-profit EOC may
The
primary resource in helping an I&R program understand, access
and effectively utilize the volunteer structure of the community is
the local Volunteer Center. Each
I&R program should have a solid relationship with the Volunteer
Center both for its own day-to-day operations and for community-wide
disaster response.
B. Issues/Policies:
There
are a wide variety of issues-realities which under normal
circumstances are routine activities for an I&R, but in a
disaster become anything but ordinary-which need to be addressed
with either policies or established practices designed to be
implemented with the occurrence of a disaster.
1 Physical Issues:
Realities
such as location, power/water, communication capacity, protection of
your agency 's physical assets and records, how to operate without
power, transportation (particularly of I&R staff), day care
(again for I&R staff).
If
your I&R program is computerized, how are you going to maintain
current service information and accurate client information if you
have no power?
Each
of the above realities are issues an I&R should discuss
thoroughly with alternative plans developed and practiced for each.
If a disaster strikes and your site is destroyed, is your
expertise no longer critical to the response effort?
What
will you do for your staff who have transportation problems or day
care needs?
2. Communication:
What
if your telephones are out? What
if everyone else's telephones are out?
What if the power is out so people don't know you are sitting
there with excellent information?
You need to have carefully thought through alternative
avenues for communication and the dissemination of information that
goes with communication. Blimps
have been used, as have outreach vans.
A
disaster will add tremendously to your work load.
Is your computer system capable of such a drastic increase in
work load? Is it
flexible enough for special program additions?
How will you avoid the pitfall of the paper trail?
3. Volunteer Involvement:
Programs
who have an active volunteer program need to lay careful plans.
Volunteers are great but they, like staff, require time.
That is a fact which needs to be accepted from the beginning.
A
means to contact the agency's volunteers should be planned in order
to check on their welfare and ability to help out at the agency.
Keeping records of those who used to volunteer may also be
helpful-for they may wish to come back
The
issues in volunteer involvement are: job descriptions (what
responsibilities can they/can they not fulfill); recruitment,
particularly of special skill volunteers; screening; scheduling;
training; supervision; recognition; reimbursement of volunteers for
expenses; insurance issues.
4. Staff:
In
a disaster, you will never have sufficient staff.
Yet they comprise the most important resource available to
you. Their care,
feeding, and well-being is absolutely critical.
Under
the best of circumstances, the job I&R workers face is
difficult. Under the
worst of circumstances, it is close to impossible.
Remember that and have realistic expectations of excellence.
Even if the majority of your staff are generalists, try
specific areas of responsibility (division of labor) for each staff
for the duration of the disaster: data collection, data maintenance,
training, outreach, problem case management, client tracking,
specific problem areas, etc. Be
sure job descriptions are clear and lines of reporting/supervisory
accountability are well defined.
The
stress level under which people work will be very high.
Not only will they be dealing with a tremendous volume of
human need and working long hours under very difficult
circumstances, most of them will also be victims themselves and will
have to deal with their own personal grief and loss.
The last thing an I&R program needs under critical
circumstances is for a staff member to break under stress.
Once again, the key is preparation/planning/training before
the fact.
5. Normal I&R Routines:
What
an I&R program finds itself needing to do in a disaster is
largely no different than what it does on a daily basis.
The elements in disaster response are virtually the same
elements that an I&R program carries out regularly: resource
development, including data collection, verification, maintenance
and dissemination; client involvement, including assessment, problem
identification, information, referral, advocacy, tracking/follow-up.
There is also statistical reporting, including service gap
identification. Then
there are elements such as training, PR, volunteer involvement,
working with special populations and handling of special cases.
Each of those elements and anything else you normally do
needs to be discussed thoroughly with alternative plans or methods
developed, for what is normal will not be.
6. Special I&R Roles:
Because
a local I&R program will be one of the primary places where gaps
in services and/or stress points in the service delivery system can
be identified, a local I&R may be requested to take leadership
in several different areas:
a. The
Established System
The
established response system often will not have the resources or
manpower to sustain an ongoing response to a disaster situation,
resulting in gap areas in service and/or stress points in the
service delivery system. Elements
of the community not normally associated with formal disaster
response (churches/synagogues, civic clubs, other non-profit
agencies, non-critical governmental services) may be able to provide
critically needed fiscal, durable and personnel resources to
supplement the established system.
The problem is two-fold: those organizations need to know
that their
Possibly
a concept such as a non-profit EOC mentioned above coordinated by or
at least fed information by the local I&R would be a
responsibility needed of that I&R.
b. Out of Town
Donations
Disasters
have a way of bringing out the very best in people.
People from all over the country have a committed desire to
provide assistance. They
need to know what is needed. They
also need to know how to successfully get something or someone into
the disaster area. A
local I&R could be asked to play a role in that process.
C. Local Donations
for Distant Disasters
When
disasters strike elsewhere, your community wants to help.
What/who is needed? Where
are disaster area donation reception/distribution points? How can local area resources be coordinated to best help
disaster victims elsewhere?
A
local I&R could be requested to help shape a community's
response. Be realistic about what your limitations are.
Have a thorough enough disaster response plan in place so
that you can clearly state not only what you can do but also what
you cannot do. Finally, no matter what you do, establish
time-lines-how long are you going to do whatever it is you have said
you will do? Know
clearly what conditions/circumstances help you make that
determination.
THE
ROLE OF AIRS
Does
AIRS have any role in or potential responsibility for how a local
community and its I&R program (network) respond to a disaster?
If the answer is yes, what should that role be?
A. AIRS could establish a working relationship
with FEMA. There are
several potential benefits: mutually increased knowledge and
understanding, more direct and effective communication.
AIRS could also divide the country into regions patterned
after FEMA regions and facilitate communication, dialogue and
coordination between FEMA staff and I&R providers in each area.
B. on a national or regional level, AIRS could
maintain an active list of members with the willingness and the
commitment to be available to physically go to a disaster area to
provide assistance to local I&R providers.
AIRS could also maintain an active list of members around the
country by skill and area of expertise who would be willing to
provide telephone consultation and technical assistance to local
I&R programs in a disaster area.
C. The AIRS National Office could serve as a
central point for both I&R programs around the country and
I&R programs in a disaster area on collection and dissemination
of accurate information on what resources are needed in a disaster
area. The I&R
program in the disaster area could regularly communicate with the
National Office on area needs.
Other I&R programs could-then contact the National Office
instead of the disaster area I&R.
D. AIRS could identify and coordinate the
development of model I&R disaster plans.
Perhaps a checklist of fundamental elements of a disaster
plan could be assembled and made available to interested parties at
cost.
E. AIRS could publish a series of articles
on disaster preparedness and the role of I&R in the AIRS
newsletter.
F. AIRS should continue to offer a
workshop on disasters at our National Conference.
