Author: willowbl00
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Tech Selection example
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Small org response checklist
If you have time in your regular meetings to discuss disaster preparedness, here are some things you could consider to be set up for greater success:
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Threat modeling for disasters
Environmental hazards Investigate what sorts of hazards are likely to occur in your region by using available tools. If you can’t trust the tools, talk to people who have been around for a long time about what is likely to happen and how to prepare. Discuss it with neighbors. There are often environmental justice organizations in each…
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Interacting with FEMA
What do you qualify for? From @EmergencyLegalResponders Think FEMA only gives $750? You could qualify for much more! The $750 Serious Needs Assistance gives quick help for essentials while FEMA reviews your case. Don’t hesitate to apply – you might qualify for more aid later, like helping with temporary housing, personal belongings, or home repairs!…
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Sniff test & teaming up
Determining if they’re collaborative When I was doing crisis response in 2010-2018, the vast majority of people in the formal sector actually wanted to help the frontline population and had a deep breadth of education and experience in doing so. One of the things about the formal sector is that they’re NOT starting from square…
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Arc of disaster response
There’s this standard graph of needs versus resources that emergency managers use. It indicates that needs for an area are usually pretty steady, but when a disaster strikes, needs rise. Needs rise because some resources are destroyed and because people are distressed and injured (needing more resources than usual). It also indicates that access to…
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Avoiding PTSD
By Willow and Jesse, and with thanks to Kara for their review. This article is not therapy, and Jesse is not yet a therapist. Most people experience stress when responding to a disaster. Everyone copes with the stress, and some people recover without stress injury. But responding in the field and helping from afar can…
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Documentation in disaster response
There’s so much going on! Surely slowing down to write about it isn’t worth the time and effort. But it is! Promise. Use it for learning, use it for community Celebrate your documentarians! It’s fairly thankless work that helps the whole organization keep going smoothly. Styles There are two main ways to think about documentation…
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Dealing with Money in disaster response
At some point, if you are visible enough, people will want to give your group money to do what you’re doing in responding to the crisis. Ideally, you will have been tracking who is putting money into the response so you can later pay them back if outside donations start coming in. Have a spreadsheet…
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Data security in crisis situations
Shout out to Baron Oldenburg and Eleanor Saitta for feedback on this post! Information is flying around fast and loose as you try to help people in need. Anyone who has capacity to help has been added to a spreadsheet tracking needs. If you’re in the thick of it, this piece isn’t for you yet.…
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