In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, a nonprofit leader shares lessons on preparedness, collaboration, and resilience.
Disasters of this scale do not discriminate; they affect the vulnerable and the privileged, the constituents and the leaders. During a disaster, everyone must shore up their available resources—ideally in close collaboration with the rest of the community. Effective collaboration requires leaders—even from unexpected places. Now that the water has receded (though the relief effort is far from over), I’d like to share three lessons from the experience in the hope that others might be better prepared if and when their communities are similarly affected. Although the impulse is to pull together emergency kits and tool belts, a wide range of functions are needed—and some of them are less obvious, like coordination and communication. These roles do not require material resources, but they require significant time and sustained efforts, and it may make sense to designate them in advance.
1. Getting out information via unconventional channels is critically important during a disaster.
2. Deploying resources effectively and efficiently requires coordination.
3. Efforts around and beyond physical rebuilding need donor support.
When Humanity Calls
We should celebrate the risks and sacrifices individuals and organizations take to meet the needs of our communities. “When humanity calls, it’s hard to deny the opportunity to serve,” said Colleen Dippel, founder and executive director of Families Empowered. If her staff had not supported the Harvey call center, they would have volunteered together. “The staff has been through trauma,” she said.
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