2013 annual gathering: workshop#5b: storm chasers - disaster response as the new normal
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Disaster Response as the New Normal
CCUSA Annual Gathering
San Francisco, CA
SEPTEMBER 16TH 2013
Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens
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Movie clip
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Why we play a key role in disaster response
105 program sites all over Brooklyn and Queens
Parishes are our primary constituents
Pre-existing relationships with community stakeholders
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I. DonationsA. Challenges
1. Unsolicited donations of unnecessary items2. Adequate space to properly store items3. Transportation of items to needed areas4. Maintaining supply of certain products
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I. DonationsA. Challenges
1. Unsolicited donations of unnecessary items2. Adequate space to properly store items3. Transportation of items to needed areas4. Maintaining supply of products
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I. Donations
B. Response1. Internal resources
a) Communications office posted specific
items needed on the agencys websiteb) Fiscal office kept track of monies being
spent and donated from various
sources.c) Used agency vendors to promptly
supply needed products
ex) food pantry vendors
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I. Donations
B. Response
2. External resourcesa) Connected with local partners
- E.g.: Agency partner provided
transportation to get materials to distribution
sites.b) National partners: CCUSA connected us to
national resources, e.g. AmeriCares andFeed the Children
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I. Donations
C. Lesson Learned To have a supply of basic survival items in non-
flood zones
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II. Communication
A. Challenges1. Informing community of our disaster services and
resources2. Communication between parishes and on-site staff
3. Difficulty in checking up with clients (seniors and
clients with special needs)
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II. Communication
B. Response1. Internal resources
a) Provided updates of relief sites and
services on agency websiteb) Door to door communication with
parishes, residences, etc.c) Utilized staff and volunteers to cover more
groundd) Pastor cell phone numbers
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II. Communication
B. Response
2. External resources
a) Utilized preexisting partners and the media
to increase awareness of the agencys
services
b) Use of social media
e.g. face book, twitter, instagram
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II. Communication
C. Lessons Learned
1. Develop, test, and update contact list where feasible
2. Alternate communication methods
e.g. two way radios
3. Establish a central point of contact outside thepotential disaster area and make pre-established toll
free telephone numbers available for clients.
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III. Volunteers
A. Challenges
1. Unsolicited Volunteers
2. Daily inconsistency of volunteers (quantity, skill set,
reliability)
3. Safety/Liability
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III. Volunteers
B. Response
1. Internal resources
a) Volunteer office oversaw the screening process
and had knowledge of changing volunteerneeds.
b) Staff volunteered their personal time.
c) Attended to safety measures in all volunteer
tasks.
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III. Volunteers
B. Response1. External resources
a) Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD)
b) Local mediac) Contacted local legislative offices for potential
volunteers
d) Connected with other organizations that have
volunteer departments
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III. Volunteers
C. Lessons Learned
1. Create a system of Volunteer Management in
advance of a disaster2. Pre-identify specific volunteer tasks to enable
appropriate assignment of volunteers
3. Pre register volunteers prior to assignment
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Intermediate Response
Restoration Centers
Temporary centers which housed various government agenciesunder one roof
CCBQ provided 43 case managers for 3 of 6 NYC Restoration
Centers in Brooklyn and Queens
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Long-Term Response:
Disaster Case Management
17 DCMs and 2 supervisors help those with unmet needs related
to Sandy
Culturally competent and multilingual (English, French, Spanish,
Creole and Chinese).
Assigned to 10 strategic locations 700 Families served to date
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Long-Term Response:
Disaster Case Management
Project Hope Provides mental health counseling to individualsand groups affected by the disaster
Super Storm Sandy Employment Programfunded by CCUSA
Long-Term Recovery Groups
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CATHOLIC CHARITIES BROOKLYNAND QUEENS
Income Inequality in New York City
Last year, the wealthiest 20 percent of NYC residents made
$391,022 a year on average. The poorest 20 percent made
$9,681.
Bill de Blasio recently called this a tale of two cities.
Gap is slightly smaller in Brooklyn and Queens, but the
disparity is real and it greatly impacts the ability of
different communities to recover from a disaster.
43 percent of the 518,000 households in New York and
New Jersey asking for federal aid after Super Storm Sandy
reported annual incomes of less than $30,000.
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CATHOLIC CHARITIES BROOKLYNAND QUEENS
CCBQ focused its immediate response on the coastalneighborhoods of Red Hook, Coney Island and the Rockaway
Peninsula . Each of these areas has a high concentration of poor
residents.
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CATHOLIC CHARITIES BROOKLYNAND QUEENS
Why were these communities so severely impacted?
They are by the coast
They have high numbers of undocumented immigrants
They have high numbers of poorly-designed public housing
units
Families had a high rate of debt prior to the storm
They are relatively isolated from resources that exist in othercommunities
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CATHOLIC CHARITIES BROOKLYNAND QUEENS
Why is there a concentration of the poor by the coast?
Robert Moses, head of the Mayors Committee on Slum Clearance,
played a major role
New York City started building housing projects on the waterfront in
1950
Land was cheap, few people lived there, and eminent domain couldbe easily asserted
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CATHOLIC CHARITIES BROOKLYNAND QUEENS
NYC Public Housing
In coastal areas, the buildings are poorly designed
178,889 apartments in 345 developments
Largest public housing authority in North America
Floodwaters from the storm damaged 402 public housing
buildings with more than 35,000 units in New York City.
Their isolation in Coney Island, Red Hook and the Rockaways
meant that they had very few local resources.
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CATHOLIC CHARITIES BROOKLYNAND QUEENS
Immigrants and Sandy
Many undocumented residents live in the 3 areas where
CCBQ focused its response.
A large number of those residents lived in illegal housing units
FEMA, bearing the DHS logo, was often not seen as a safe
place to seek assistance.
Partnering with parishes was key as the church is a trusted
place.
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CATHOLIC CHARITIES BROOKLYNAND QUEENS
Other Challenges During Response
Volunteers had a difficult time understanding the needs of
these communities.
Zoo animals being watched
Cultural barriers led to some communities having a difficult
time accessing resources.
Some white communities were resistant to having people
of color come there to access resources
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CATHOLIC CHARITIES BROOKLYNAND QUEENS
Myth of Hurricane Sandy as the Great Equalizer
Social Realities:
Pre-existing poverty and inequality in the social structure
Racism and classism that has existed in NYC for decades.
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CATHOLIC CHARITIES BROOKLYNAND QUEENS
What are the pre-existing conditions that make it harder for
communities to recover?
High unemployment rate
Poor education
Food insecurity
Lack of documentation for immigrants
High prevalence of illegal housing units
Density of public housing Lack of quality health care
Pre-existing debt
Overall acceptance of the poverty in these communities
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CCBQ has a robust action network that is consistently
working on issues of structural inequality
Here are some things you can do too
Action alerts, meetings, rallies, etc. - engage elected
officials and other power brokers
Join coalitions to organize
Use your agencys influence to push for more equal
opportunities and access for your clients.
CATHOLIC CHARITIES BROOKLYNAND QUEENS
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Overarching Lessons Learned
Disaster preparedness cannot focus solely on response and
recovery.
Social inequality is changeable.
Catholic Charities USAs Campaign to Reduce Poverty in
America
Our New Normal
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CATHOLIC CHARITIES BROOKLYNAND QUEENS
CCUSA: A Vital Resource
Office of Disaster Operations
- Emergency Kit
- Connection to material resources
- Connection to funding opportunities
Applied Institute for Disaster Excellence
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Group Work
1. Which of your internal assets might be put to use in the event
of an emergency/disaster?2. What social justice issue will you address now in order to
mitigate the effects of a disaster?
3. What one Action step can you take to improve your ability torespond to a disaster?
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