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Access our news feedDisaster Response
Resources specifically for volunteer management in a time of disaster.
Articles and excerpts on this subject
- Disaster Risk Reduction, Governance and Volunteerism (PDF), report from the 2005 World Conference on Disaster Reduction
- Influenza Pandemic: Health volunteers decry lack of support (Thailand, 2005)
- From Tragedy to Triumph: How can philanthropy and volunteering help my child cope with tragic world events? from Raising Charitable Children
- Habit of the Heart: Volunteering in Disasters by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (poses important questions about the usefulness of volunteers unless managed well)
- The Human Face of Aid, 1997 UK report by People in Aid
- Is Volunteer Fire Service Prepared for Disaster? - opinion piece published one month after Great Hanshin Earthquake hit Japan in 1995
- Risk management during medical crises, a Q&A with Linda Graff on the Energize Book Blog
- Top 15 Things to Know When Managing
Volunteers in Times of Disaster
Intended for agencies that do not typically handle volunteer management activities, but that may find themselves in such a situation in response to a disaster. (from HandsOn Network). - Volunteers Vital 'Before and After' Disaster Strikes, UN Volunteers Executive Coordinator Ad de Raad (also see text of speech at the 2005 World Conference on Disaster Reduction)
Free electronic books on this subject:
Coordinating Emergency Management by Jill Saito, 12-page PDF
Emotional and Spiritual Care, a guide for disaster support by NVOAD (see below).
Getting Ready for Disaster Volunteers: A Guide for Community-Based Organizations, by Margaret Melsh of The Volunteerism Project, San Francisco, CA (updated 2001).
Operation Blue Roof and Beyond: Protocol on the Deployment of AmeriCorps Teams for Disaster Recovery, 24-page PDF by Deborah Burr Florida Natural Resources Leadership Institute Class V
Preventing a Disaster Within the Disaster by FEMA and the Points of Light Foundation, and its follow-up report, Managing Spontaneous Volunteers in Times of Disaster.
Ready to Respond: Disaster Preparedness and Response for Volunteer CentersDetailed manual from The Points of Light Foundation and The Allstate Foundation providing the necessary guidance for Volunteer Centers and local voluntary agencies to develop and coordinate a disaster preparedness and response program that is tailored to the specific needs, capabilities, and desires of their local community (1999).
Web sites with information on this subject
Action by Churches
Together (ACT) International
http://www.act-intl.org/
A global alliance of churches
and related agencies working to save lives and support communities
in emergencies worldwide. Site offers various guides
and links.
Citizen Corps Councils
http://www.citizencorps.gov/councils/resources_councils.shtm
Information on starting
a local Citizen Corps Council to prepare for emergencies, with details
about working groups around the country. Part of the USA Freedom
Corps.
The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program
http://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/index.shtm
CERT educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area and trains them to organize locally.
Disaster Center
- Relief Agencies
http://www.disastercenter.com/agency.htm
Comprehensive listing
of dozens of nonprofit and faith-based organizations engaged in
disaster relief, with descriptions and links.
Disaster News Network
(DNN)
http://www.disasternews.net/
Disaster News Network
is a news service that tells the story of disaster response and
suggests appropriate ways the public can help survivors. It also
facilitates information sharing among disaster responders.
Help in Disaster
http://www.helpindisaster.org
American site designed to register and affiliate volunteers prior to a disaster (in the USA) so that organizations within the disaster area can outreach to volunteers by their skills and availability and invite them to assist in the recovery effort. Run by Points of Light Foundation and 1-800-Volunteer.org. Has information to prepare volunteers.
International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Disaster Response
http://www.ifrc.org/what/disasters/response/
Overview of disaster relief
efforts around the world, with various documents and articles relevant
to volunteer service.
National Voluntary
Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD)
http://www.nvoad.org/
NVOAD coordinates planning
efforts by many voluntary organizations responding to disaster,
providing more effective services and less duplication by getting
together before disasters strike. Once disasters occur, NVOAD or
an affiliated state VOAD encourages members and other voluntary
agencies to convene on site. This cooperative effort has proven
to be the most effective way for a wide variety of volunteers and
organizations to work together in a crisis. Offer various
reports and guides (see articles above).
People in Aid (free publications area)
http://www.peopleinaid.org/resources/publications.aspx
UK site focusing mainly
on paid relief workers but offering materials of use in working
with volunteers.
Radio Emergency Associated Communications Teams (REACT) International
http://www.reactintl.org/
Well-recognized organization of ham radio and CB operators who work with established emergency organizations to communicate worldwide during emergencies and disasters. The site provides self-help materials for the volunteers involved.
Volunteer Center Response Plan
http://www.preparenow.org/vcdplan.html
Lengthy online manual outlining what a volunteer center can do during a disaster.
Volunteer Centers Disaster Initiatives
http://www.pointsoflight.org/programs/disaster/resources.cfm
Variety of materials to assist volunteer centers prepare for and operate during local disasters.
Revelant Hot Topic essays
- Helper Triage: Volunteer Management in Emergencies - Dec '07
- The Silver Lining of Disaster - Sept '05
- A Volunteerism Perspective on the Days after the 11th of September - Oct '01
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