Query: Community Disaster Recovery

Tue Apr 29 11:18:44 CDT 2008

[ed:  thanks to Denise and John for replying to Bill's query.]

From: "Denise Keller" <dkeller at Princeton.EDU>

Hi Bill & ORG-COMM List:

One of the campuses involved in our National Community-Based Research
Networking Initiative (funded by a Learn & Serve grant) is focusing on
disaster recovery after two floods impacted their community. 

The program is located at Western Carolina University, and the contact
person is:

Glenn Bowen, Ph.D.
Director, Center for Service Learning
Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, NC 28723

Phone:  (828) 227-2643
Fax:  (828) 227-7179
E-mail: gbowen at email.wcu.edu 

Best wishes,

Denise Keller
Project Coordinator
Community-Based Learning Initiative

Princeton University
201G Frist Campus Center
Princeton, NJ 08544
phone (609) 258-9750
fax (609) 258-8180

www.princeton.edu/~cbli
www.cbrnet.org

**************************

From: "John Cooper" <jcooper at mdcinc.org>

My suggestions for Bill follow, but first I must comment on the
preparedness issue.  With that, I am sad to report it was known long
before Katrina (at least 20 years) that the key to community disaster
resilience is a strong community fabric.  This is especially important
for socially vulnerable groups, who are the hardest hit by disasters and
have the hardest time recovering.  With this knowledge, for my
dissertation (2004) I analyzed a national sample of disaster plans to
assess the extent to which those plans utilized techniques to engage the
community and to strengthen community ties.  Long story short, many
local emergency mangers still do not have the commitment or capacity
(time, talent, and budget) to do it very well.  

Another case in point...I manage the Emergency Preparedness
Demonstration Project (EPD) currently.  The EPD is a FEMA funded ($2
Million) demonstration aimed at understanding the barriers to increased
disaster awareness and preparedness in disadvantaged communities.   The
project was originally supposed to begin in 2000, after Hurricane Floyd
destroyed Princeville, NC in 1999, but we were in the midst of a
presidential election then.  In 2001, the 911 terrorist attacks led us
to refocus our national attention on terrorism.  In 2003, Hurricane
Isabel hit and reminded congress that disaster preparedness planning was
still a national problem.  We got the EPD in June 2005, two months
before Katrina hit.  By the way, I also spent 5 years as a planning
specialist with the NC Division of Emergency Management, so I have
multiple perspectives, but a single conclusion steeped in research and
practice.... better coordination of internal and external community
capacity is the answer. 

Yes, in the wake of Katrina, finally, more emergency planners are
developing the skills to design and lead inclusive emergency management
programs and politicians at every level, are appropriating funds
necessary to carryout and sustain the work.  More community leaders are
demanding to be included in the process and more community-based and
grassroots organizations are starting to understand that disaster
preparedness is linked to their missions, environmental justice,
poverty, housing, transportation and any other social equity/justice
issue you can name.  I rejoice and digress!

On disaster recovery...
For promising practices on all phases of disaster management, check out
Lessons Learned Information Sharing (LLIS.gov).  The LLIS  is a national
network of Lessons Learned and Best Practices for emergency managers
and homeland security officials ( see
https://www.llis.dhs.gov/index.do).  I also have a list of foundations
and community based intermediaries working on or funding disaster
recovery work in the Gulf that I am happy to share.  Finally, I assume
you know about the Colorado Hazards Center,  but just in case others are
looking for studies, guides, etc., check out:

Natural Hazards Center
http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/
Tel: (303) 492-1031
Note:  The Hazards Center maintains a comprehensive library, produces a
regular e-newsletter, and has been hosting an annual workshop for 30
years.

For those wanting to know more about the EPD and the products we are
developing send email.

Best regards,

jc

John Thomas Cooper Jr., Ph.D.
Program Director
MDC Inc., Expanding Opportunity, Advancing Equity
400 Silver Cedar Court, Suite 300
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
Phone: (919) 968-4531 Ext. 347
Fax: (919) 929-8557
Visit our website at: www.mdcinc.org

Discussion list for COMM-ORG wrote:
> --------
> This is a COMM-ORG 'colist' message.
> All replies to this message come to COMM-ORG only.
> --------
>  
> [ed: please feel welcomed to copy COMM-ORG with responses to Bill's 
> query. A bit from me below.]
>
> From: "Berkowitz, William" <William_Berkowitz at uml.edu>
>
>
> Dear Colleagues,
>
> Do you know any good examples of tools, checklists, stories, or 
> resources related to community disaster recovery?
>
> I’m working as part of a national team that is preparing a manual for 
> community groups on how to plan and implement community disaster 
> recovery efforts. (As contrasted with disaster preparedness.) We are 
> using the term “disaster” broadly; but our focus in this case is on the 
> broader social and community actions that need to be taken after a 
> disaster event, as contrasted with meeting immediate human needs or with 
> physical rebuilding.
>
> Our manual draft is nearly complete; but we would like to include some 
> useful illustrative how-to-do-it type materials on how other communities 
> have planned and carried out disaster recovery in practice. If you have 
> any, or know of any, we’d be grateful if you might be able to share them 
> with us and others.
>
> Thanks very much for your help.
>
> ~~ Bill
>
> Bill Berkowitz
> Dept. of Psychology
> University of Massachusetts Lowell
> Lowell, MA 01845
>
> (978) 934-3655
>
> Bill_Berkowitz at uml.edu
>
> **********************
>
> [ed: interestingly, one of the things I have been hearing in the wake of 
> Katrina is about neighborhood-based disaster preparation as the most 
> important pre-requisite to recovery. In contrast to centralized 
> government and Red Cross models, the neighborhood-based model is built 
> on residents' knowledge of their own neighborhood and neighbors. An 
> interesting example is at 
> http://www.nicasio.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=30&Itemid=48. 
> The Institute for Community Based Research at Delta State University is 
> also a good source for new thinking on disaster preparation and 
> recovery--http://ntweb.deltastate.edu/vp_academic/jgreen/New_ICBR_WebPages/index_ICBR.htm]
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