Introduction The catastrophic disasters caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita created a living laboratory for distilling “best practices” in using volunteers for disaster relief. This manual presents a basic overview of existing literature on the subject, as well as case studies and the on-the-ground experience of organizations working in the Greater New Orleans Area after… Read more
Volunteers are one of the most versatile and cost-effective resources in disaster response and recovery, however they come with a big caveat – when not managed properly, they can escalate an already dangerous and chaotic situation by overwhelming first-responders and putting themselves and others in danger. Public information officers can play an important role in helping… Read more
Taking a centralized approach to managing volunteers can help localities maximize the potential of volunteers and leverage the efforts of enthusiastic community members. IBTS subject matter experts and community emergency management professionals share their experiences and lessons learned in how to centralize volunteers. The Volunteer Reception Center (VRC) is a designated location used to connect… Read more
Volunteers are one of the most versatile and cost-effective resources in disaster response and recovery, however they come with a big caveat – when not managed properly, they can escalate an already dangerous and chaotic situation by overwhelming first-responders and putting themselves and others in danger. Public safety officials can relieve some of the resulting… Read more
Volunteers are one of the most versatile and cost-effective resources in disaster response and recovery, but it is impossible to predict exactly to what extent volunteers and resources will be affected by a disaster. Accordingly, city managers and county administrators must be prepared to call on help from surrounding communities by having mutual aid agreements… Read more
Resilience planning ensures that your community is better prepared for future disasters. For communities that have recovered from a disaster, it is critical to take the time to apply lessons learned from the experience. Click on the topics below to learn more for your community. Lessons Learned Disaster Planning Revisions Codes, Ordinance Review & Revisions… Read more
Stay up to date with all the latest IBTS news.