Disaster Planning: Understanding the Long Term Recovery Process

Long term recovery is the least understood, and most expensive phase of disaster response. Within hours of a major disaster there is a preliminary disaster assessment. This usually happens before evacuees are permitted back into the area. This phase begins after search and rescue, triage, first aid, emergency shelter and other immediate needs are met. After a presidential declaration of disaster, FEMA comes for up to 60 days, but it is VOAD partners who carry out 60% of all long term recovery. These groups frequently commit to working in affected areas for a period of months or years. If you live in an area with unmet needs contact your local Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) office. If no response, contact your regional or state VOAD office or your local emergency management office. Be prepared to give specific information about needs. Social media messages, particularly text and twitter are more likely to get through following a disaster. Landlines and cell phones will likely be inoperable. Amateur radio is still the gold standard when all other means of communication fail. Consider establishing a business emergency team with HAM operator support. Fire departments and emergency operations centers train with amateur radio operators and they provide emergency communication support during and after a disaster. VOAD can contact your local emergency management office. In order for your County to receive assistance, they are required to stand up a long term recovery group (LTRG). Once the County commits to this and demonstrates follow through VOAD partners step in to work on cases. Once the LTRG becomes operational VOAD partners transfer remaining cases to the LTRG, which continues to work all the cases.