Disaster Response and Recovery: Strategies and Tactics for Resilience, 2nd Edition

7

MANAGING PUBLIC INFORMATION, DONATIONS, AND VOLUNTEERS

Expected Difficulties and Benefits

Starting Point

Pretest to assess your knowledge of managing public relations, donations, and volunteers.Determine where you need to concentrate your effort.

What You'll Learn in This Chapter

• The different types of media and typical media behaviors
• The goals of public relations after disasters
• Problems associated with donations management
• The challenges that volunteers create for first responders and emergency managers

After Studying This Chapter, You'll Be Able To

• Handle the media effectively after a disaster.
• Examine donations management difficulties.
• Prepare for an outpouring of assistance and help from others.
• Operate closely with volunteer and volunteer associations.

Goals and Outcomes

• Prepare and provide important disaster information to your community.
• Enhance your agency's public image.
• Harness outside generosity for the benefit of disaster victims.
• Integrate volunteers into disaster response and recovery operations.

INTRODUCTION

One measure of resilience is your ability to deal with the expected reactions of people and organizations to disasters. Members of the media rush to the scene to report on what is taking place. Donations pour in from well-meaning individuals and groups that want to help disaster victims. Volunteers arrive to assist the community in its recovery efforts. While the media, donations, and volunteers are essential for response and recovery operations, they ...