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Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Redefining Disasters Preparedness And Resilience Within The Philanthropic Sector

By Tammie Caldwell


A billion dollars is considerably a hefty sum. If a normal disaster has this total in damages, it attains the benchmark of measurement by the Government of the United States. Such billion dollar catastrophes are rising in occurrences. New threats happen often and faster than disasters preparedness facilities can keep up. Examples of such calamities include Texas tornadoes and wildfires in some western states.

You already know that the people most affected are already at the mercy of other vulnerabilities and risks long before the phenomenon strikes. You know that relieve to such people is determined by higher social forces. Such forces often determine the allocation of essential resources. These forces have the power to locate a levee or channel money to safe houses. This means calamities are most disruptive in areas where philanthropy is prevalent.

The moment a disaster strikes, philanthropic advanced practices such as collective capacity, coalition building and leverage, should kick in. However, research and experience has shown that private donations, including those from foundations, dramatically decline after six months and remain poorly coordinated.

FE MA disaster recovery framework of 2011 gives a useful insight into the social sector level of resilience as a complete system. It highlights preparedness as the key to continued resilience and survival of a disaster while intact and stronger.

Philanthropy as a sector has to prepare itself better for rapidly changing environment. This environment sees crucial basic infrastructures under siege such as opportunity, law and accountability. This kind of environment measures recovery not in election cycles or in months but in years.

The diverse and important functions played by donor foundations have been well documented. This documentation has a wide spectrum covering resilience, relief and recovery. We have many literature covering philanthropy and disaster providing how to guidance and instructions or who provided which funds for what. Analysis of this kind is published after years. Their findings are critical for insights into disaster funding organizations and their response regimens.

Those experiences that communities affected by disasters go through show dramatically how improved data infrastructures a shared sense of urgent accomplishment could do. An organization that leverages information effectively has a major role to play in taking valuable resources and producing good outcomes among affected people. A good example is The Foundation Centers Foundation Maps. This is a grant online tool. It shares with non profit enterprises and donation financiers a framework that defines crucial data in real time.

Disaster afflicted societies are the proverbial coalmine canaries irrespective of whether it is a West African outbreak of Ebola or a bankrupt Detroit. These all expose the underlying bedrock status of the society, its infrastructure and effects on the residents. Should a calamity hit, we all see ourselves as people. We all see our vulnerability as well as our fragility. In that particular instant, it is no longer them but us.

As the rate, scenery and degree of calamities goes up, the charitable sector must shift its focal point towards preparedness. It can start doing this through a shared sense of urgency and committing themselves to improving the data infrastructures. This way, first responders will be able to spring fast into action. They will assist communities self-organize long before others can mobilize.




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