disaster preparedness

 

Background

 

The lack of a model assuring that recovery work following a disaster proceeds effectively and efficiently is causing increasing frustration among disaster responders and, indeed, imperils the prospects of disaster survivors and their communities to experience the fullest possible restoration of their losses.

 

Although several disaster responders assume responsibilities in organizing the recovery, no protocols or standards guide their activities or coordination of efforts, nor does any one organization take responsibility for making sure effective recovery gets under way.

 

A model that clearly defines agency roles and responsibilities in organizing and coordinating community-based recovery committees is badly needed.

 

Church World Service has focused primarily on facilitating a cooperative response by the faith community (Interfaiths). FEMA and American Red Cross VOLAGs seek to bring representatives of the wider community together to organize Unmet Needs or Resource Coordination Committees (referred to in the remainder of this document as Recovery Coordination Committees), with actual organizational tasks assigned to no one organization. In some areas, local VOAD-like community organizations that meet on an on-going basis have moved into operational roles in the recovery period following disasters.

 

The purpose of these protocols is to outline a systematic approach to the formation and coordination of community-based recovery mechanisms. In this document, the FEMA VOLAG Coordinator plays a central role in facilitating the recovery efforts on presidentially declared disasters. CWS consultants, the ARC VOLAG Coordinator, and appropriate representatives of state or sub-state VOADs (where applicable) will work with the FEMA VOLAG Coordinator to ensure effective formation and coordination of Recovery Committees and Interfaiths (see attached chart). On disasters that are not presidentially declared, the American Red Cross VOLAG will assume this role.

 

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Protocols

 

The proposed protocols detailed in this document are predicated on the following:

 

Faith-based community organizations (Interfaiths) and Recovery Committees should be distinct and separate.

Interfaiths are faith based and have very special roles in disaster response within the context of casework that may be oriented toward a unique client base. They often provide service and assistance to people and families with unmet needs who are not on maximum grant lists. Their programs may encompass pastoral care and public policy advocacy, which may be inappropriate for a broader-based Recovery Committee. They often provide important services in coordinating volunteers and donations in rebuilding. Though separate in most cases, the Interfaith will have a representative who will serve on the Recovery Committee. This representative may provide assistance financially or through provision of services to cases that conform with Interfaith policies and procedures.

 

Recovery Committees are broader based working groups composed of agencies that provide services or resources to families recovering from the effects of a disaster. Agency representatives with decision-making authority, who meet regularly within the context of these working groups, present cases and discuss shared options for addressing needs of their varied clients. They generally focus on maximum grant cases brought by American Red Cross. Although faith-based community organizations have sometimes functioned as Recovery Committees, secular agencies may be reluctant to participate in these groups.

 

Simultaneous, yet uncoordinated, activities geared to organizing Interfaiths, on one hand, and Recovery Committees, on the other hand, along with VOAD-like groups that are not operational, are confusing and delay successful organization of any effective recovery mechanism.

 

Organizations and resources from outside a disaster-affected community can facilitate, but not impose organization of a recovery mechanism (Interfaiths, Recovery Committees, etc.).

 

Cooperation and coordination of all disaster responders in encouraging local agencies and institutions to organize a recovery mechanism is required.

 

A point of contact willing to assume the long-term responsibility of initiating, coordinating and monitoring recovery mechanism must be identified.

 

 

The current FEMA VOLAG and the ARC VOLAG Coordinators are the operational center for facilitating organization of responding voluntary agencies.

 

Church World Service, with its network of regional and state-based volunteer disaster consultants and recognition as a coordinating agency is developing the structure and identity to function effectively, in collaboration with FEMA and Red Cross VOLAG Coordinators and state and sub-state VOADs, as an important player in initiating, coordinating, and monitoring the recovery process.

Organizations deemed responsible for initiating, coordinating, and monitoring community based efforts must have sufficient resources to operate effectively and efficiently.

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Field Activities

 

1. Within 24 hours after a major disaster, CWS in consultation with its appropriate Regional Disaster Response Facilitator (RDRF) assigns responsibility for facilitating a cooperative religious community response to one or more of the following (heretofore to be called the CWS Consultant):

 

A CWS Volunteer Disaster Resource Consultant (DRC)

based in state/territory where disaster has occurred

 

Volunteer DRC in FEMA region where disaster has occurred

if CWS has no current state/territory-based DRC in place

 

A Volunteer CWS Disaster Consultant from outside

the disaster area or region with specialized skills in

faith-based community organizing.

 

A CWS Partner disaster response agency in state/territory

where disaster has occurred

 

Personnel provided by a lead agency in the state/territory

where disaster has occurred (normally, a CRWRC, PDAT,

or UMCOR volunteer)

 

2. The FEMA VOLAG coordinator (if disaster is Federally declared) and

American Red Cross VOLAG will be on site assessing needs, pinpointing

areas where Recovery Coordination Committees (RCCs) and/or interfaith

groups will be needed, and making contacts with non faith-based community

groups and leaders who will participate in the recovery.

 

3. Within 48 hours following the disaster, VOLAG Coordinators, the CWS RDRF, and an appropriate representative of a state or sub-state VOAD (if applicable) will meet via telephone or in person. The meeting will be facilitated by the FEMA VOLAG (in a federally declared disaster) or ARC VOLAG (when FEMA is not involved in the response). Participants will review what is happening and coordinate dates/times/places of VOLAG, VOAD & religious community meetings.

 

4. The CWS Consultant will immediately initiate a process to bring members of the wider inter-religious community together in the disaster-affected area to (1) decide

on whether or not to plan and implement a cooperative response and (2) to begin developing a response strategy if a decision is made to carry out work within the

context of an interfaith mechanism.

 

If a wide area is affected, the CWS Consultant will begin operating at the state level

and then at the community level. If only a limited area is affected by the disaster, the CWS Consultant may initiate the first meeting through a local ministerial association

or alliance.

 

CWS will depend on consultants from Christian Reformed World Relief Committee CRWRC), Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR), Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Team (PDAT), and United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) and other religious community organizations to provide support community-level organizing. Depending on the scope of the disaster, a CWS Partner Agency (CWRC, LDR, PDAT, UMCOR, interfaith/ecumenical organizations) may be coordinated to assist in community level organizing.

 

Cooperative religious community response may include:

 

Strong, independent local interfaith disaster recovery

organizations in which congregations work together

 

Judicatories. conferences, conventions, dioceses constituting

an umbrella response organization which:

 

oversees work implemented by local interfaith groups, ministerial association, and/or religious community

service provider at disaster sites and

 

receives and disburses funds to the local programs

 

Judicatories, conferences, conventions, dioceses working

together as a consortium in carrying on a coordinated

disaster response program

 

A lead agency with a strong presence in the affected area

 

5. The CWS Consultant will apprise VOLAG Coordinator from ARC and FEMA

(if Federally-declared disaster) and the state or sub-state VOAD representative

(if applicable) of progress in setting up an inter-religious community meeting

or date if one is scheduled. They will be asked to provide information about

disaster needs. The CWS Consultant will also keep the CWS RDRF informed

about nature and progress of inter-religious community response.

 

6. VOLAG Coordinators, CWS RDRF, and VOAD representative meet again to

share information about:

 

Population groups and areas most affected & their needs

 

 

Community contacts

 

 

Emerging religious community recovery committee response

 

 

Emerging Recovery Coordination Committee response

 

Based on shared information, parties develop a strategy for initiating

appropriate recovery mechanisms. Possibilities:

 

Development of religious community response mechanisms will be emphasized & they will be responsible for creating RCCs

 

Development of RCCs will be emphasized

 

Combination of inter-religious community response and RCCs will be pursued

 

7. After development of appropriate strategy, voluntary agencies meet either

under auspices of VOAD (if applicable) or as called by FEMA VOLAG

Coordinator or ARC VOLAG Coordinator (when FEMA is not involved).

 

8. FEMA VOLAG Coordinator or ARC VOLAG Coordinator (when FEMA is

not involved) takes lead in developing RCCs with CWS Consultant supporting

by providing religious community contacts, encouraging religious leaders to participate in organizational meetings, linking RCCs to resources.

 

9. The CWS Consultant links interfaith response organization(s) to needed

resources (including funds and operations training) and remains available to

it for counsel as needed.

 

10. VOLAG Coordinator, CWS RDRF, and VOAD representative continue to

confer weekly over the next three weeks following the disaster to review progress

of community recovery mechanisms. Where community recovery mechanisms are not developing, other alternatives for handling casework will be explored --

i.e.: lead agencies.

 

11. While the organizational process is under way to establish a viable community

recovery mechanism in presidentially-declared disasters, an UMCOR volunteer

will begin coordinating casework utilizing a computerized database at the Disaster Field Office. When the community recovery organization is functioning and can effectively coordinate casework, UMCOR will transfer case data and database to

the organization. The transfer process will occur in this way:

 

Community recovery organization or FEMA VOLAG/CWS Consultant on behalf of organization recommends that the casework & database be transferred to the community recovery organization.

 

CWS RDRF, ARC and FEMA VOLAG Coordinators and VOAD representative confer about recommendation

 

If CWS RDRF, ARC and FEMA VOLAG Coordinators, and VOAD representative agree with transfer recommendation, FEMA VOLAG informs CWS Emergency Response Office (ERO) and UMCOR.

 

FEMA VOLAG requests UMCOR to transfer case data to community recovery organization

 

UMCOR transfers casework & database to the Community Recovery Organization and provides technical assistance to ensure smooth transition

 

12. Throughout the long-term recovery the CWS Consultant and RDRF in cooperation with FEMA and Red Cross VOLAG Coordinators and VOAD representative will continue to monitor activities of faith-based community

disaster response organizations and/or Recovery Committees & resource

them as is possible and appropriate.

 

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