With powerful and highly destructive natural disasters happening each year, it’s important for nonprofits to have a plan in place for their role in disaster relief and recovery efforts, so that they’re ready to help effectively and appropriately when willing and able.
This post provides some helpful tips for nonprofits that serve in these times of crisis, including why it’s important to coordinate with those in charge of disaster response, how to get involved with your local community’s disaster planning, and how to prepare your team to serve in a way that is mindful of your resources and your mission.
Who’s in charge after a major natural disaster?
While nonprofits often play important roles in relief efforts, a major natural disaster is too large for any single organization to respond to on their own. That’s why it’s important that efforts are coordinated, and responders collaborate with the appropriate command.
While federal and state governmental agencies maintain overall authority, they are most often supported by and partner with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), including nonprofits.
For example, the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD) is a coalition of large, national nonprofit organizations whose missions specifically include disaster response — such as the American Red Cross, United Way Worldwide, Feeding America, and other NGOs.
These organizations have the specialized training, networks, and resources to effectively manage large-scale, complex situations.
If your nonprofit decides to send relief help to an outside community after a natural disaster, a good place to start would be to connect with the local or regional NVOAD chapters.
They can help you better understand the situation, get a better idea of what is needed most, and let you know how your nonprofit’s resources and specialties may be able to help during times of crisis.
How to get involved with your local community’s disaster planning
When a natural disaster happens in your own community, there’s not going to be time for a planned-out, seamless integration into the already-established relief efforts — you’re already there, living the disaster in real-time.
Federal and state agencies, NVOAD nonprofits, and other relief organizations take time to fully mobilize and get to the scene, so for the first hours and days after a disaster, the response will primarily be up to your community itself.
Fortunately, your community should have emergency plans in place for just such an occasion.
Connect with your Local Emergency Planning Committee
Communities throughout the nation have a Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC). These are community-based groups that work together to prepare for emergencies.
These normally include:
- Elected state, local, and tribal officials
- Police, fire, civil defense, and public health professionals
- Environment, transportation, and hospital officials
- Representatives from community groups and the media
Working together, these stakeholders must develop an emergency response plan for the community, review the plan at least annually, and provide information to the public.
The best way to know your nonprofit’s role in the community’s disaster response is to get involved in the LEPC — and you can find your local one through the State Emergency Response Commission in your state.
Your nonprofit’s mission already targets specific needs in the community. Whether you provide transportation services, meal delivery, shelter and housing, or mental health services, each service is highly valued and may become even more critical during and after a disaster.
This is why it’s so important to not only communicate the services you can offer, but to also let the LEPC know if you experience difficulties providing for critical needs.
By participating in disaster response planning in your area, you can help ensure that those needs continue to be met during emergencies.
Communication
Fortunately, your local response team doesn’t have to work alone. As word gets out and outside agencies, volunteers, and nonprofits begin to arrive, you may find people from your network reaching out and asking how they can help or get involved.
Nonprofits are of critical importance with information sharing — because you know the specific needs in your community — and can relay that to others that may not be familiar with those needs.
However, when it comes to needs that are outside the scope of your mission or specific to your nonprofit, be sure to not speak for the entire community — unless you’ve been designated to do that by the LEPC.
Avoiding risks
As a nonprofit, it is inherent in your mission to be a helper in one way or another. However, while you may have every good intention of helping, it’s important to stick with the relief work that’s closely related to your mission and work that you’re insured to do.
For example, if your nonprofit’s mission does not home the unhoused, don’t offer to create housing. If you aren’t involved in animal rescue or care, don’t attempt to shelter loose dogs in the chaos.
It’s just too high a risk and could result in an uninsurable loss if something goes wrong.
Instead, seek out ways your nonprofit can help — within your area of expertise and with your available resources.
You might offer to collect and send personal hygiene kits, water, non-perishables, blankets, or other supplies to the nonprofits who are equipped and insured for housing or animal rescue missions. Or, if you know there is an identified need, maybe you can use your network to secure additional animal travel cages or towels or things that could be used by the animal care rescuers.
Planning for disaster
Before disaster strikes, it’s important to think ahead: How will you respond? What resources do you have to deploy? Who do you tell if your nonprofit is impacted by a disaster and you are unable to support the community?
Your nonprofit’s effectiveness in aid and recovery is directly affected by how prepared you are. That’s why it’s a good idea to:
- Identify resources: Ensure that you know what resources you can deploy in an emergency, and how you can access additional resources if needed.
- Communicate: Reach out to your local NVOAD chapter, the other nonprofits in your area, or your LEPC to learn what the specific needs of the community are — and how your organization fits in.
- Get involved: Let other local nonprofits or emergency response contacts know how you can help.
NIA resource: NIA-insured nonprofits get discounted access to Emergency Communication Software for your organization, allowing for real-time information sharing as developments arise in a crisis.
Having a plan is critical — whether you face threats from fire, landslides, floods, hurricanes, ice storms, tornadoes, earthquakes, or any other natural disaster. With climate change, the likelihood of disaster is higher than ever, and the damages are expected to be greater every year.
