Donations management has evolved into a crucial element of any disaster. What may not be recognized yet is that the disaster under consideration doesn’t need to be in your own jurisdiction.
After a tornado hit a suburb of Birmingham, Ala., a request was received from an emergency management organization in Kentucky to provide workers compensation coverage from KyEM to some of that organization’s members who were transporting materials collected for the tornado recovery. It is KyEM policy to withhold this type of assistance until the affected state has made a request under the provisions of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC).
This story shows the ripple effect of donations management following a disaster. Although the disaster was in another part of the country, a Kentucky emergency management agency became involved due to local interest. That county’s emergency management organization in turn involved the state.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch and its devastation of parts of Central America, many local groups organized relief efforts. It was essential for those groups and local emergency management organizations to coordinate efforts before beginning any local collection effort. It is also essential for volunteers wishing to help at the site of a disaster to coordinate before they go.
Many remember the pictures from Florida following Hurricane Andrew. Pictures of mountains of clothing that were unusable, sitting beside mountains of other unusable materials, waiting to be disposed of. With proper prior organization and communication these types of situations can be minimized, if not avoided.
Guidelines for volunteer services & donated goods
1) Affiliate Before Showing up:
Instead of arriving unexpectedly in a disaster area, volunteers should register with a recognized volunteer agency.
2) Prepare for Self-Sufficiency:
In most disasters, there are inadequate facilities for feeding, housing, personal hygiene and health/medical needs for volunteers. It is best to affiliate with a recognized agency that will provide for these needs.
3) Be Patient and Flexible:
Volunteers should be prepared to step into any of a variety of roles, depending on current or sudden needs. Volunteers expecting to enter a response or relief effort in a certain capacity will often be disappointed. Sometimes a volunteer’s unique talents are not immediately needed.
4) Know the Liability Situation:
A volunteer should be certain that there is coverage by liability clauses in the insurance structure of the volunteer agency with which he or she is affiliated. A volunteer not registered with a volunteer agency should assume that all liability is entirely with the volunteer as an individual.
5) Volunteers a Coordinated Process:
The use of volunteers is an organized process by which people with abilities,skills, and/or training are assigned to special tasks. Volunteers are most useful when they are able to do the right thing at the right time.
6) Commit to the Response Effort:
Disaster work is often dirty, monotonous, mundane and not glamorous. There is little individual recognition. Volunteers should be committed to work under such conditions and fit within plans that are coordinated by the volunteer agencies.
7) Cash Donations Are Best :
Cash contributions allow professional relief organizations to purchase what is most urgently needed. Cash donations require no transportation costs and involve no workers for sorting or distribution. Cash donations allow relief supplies to be bought near the disaster site, stimulating the local economy and ensuring quicker supply delivery.
8) Confirm the Need:
Call the Donations Hot Line for that state to confirm what needs exist.
9) Donate Through an Organization:
It is essential to locate a reliable relief organization willing to receive the shipment of donated goods. When unsolicited truckloads arrive at a disaster site, there is often no place to unload. Often items become part of the garbage that must be removed during the cleanup phase of the disaster response.
10) Plan Transportation in Advance:
Never assume that unsolicited relief supplies will be transported at no charge. Local trucking firms may be willing to help in times of disaster, if funds are available to cover part of the expense. Some volunteer agencies may have trucks going to the disaster site that can take donations, or they can identify another group in the area.
11) Ensure That Donated Items Are Packed Well and Clearly Labeled:
Specific content lists should be taped to the side of each box sent. This allows officials to determine quickly what the box contains without opening it.. Clothing should be sorted in separate boxes by gender, size and season.
12) Send Small Items and Unsorted Clothing to Meet Local Needs:
Miscellaneous, unrequested items and unsorted bags of clothing may not reach a disaster area because of handling difficulties. This type of donation may be more appropriate for a local charity, homeless shelter or food bank.