MANAGEMENT IN THE MIDST OF EMOTIONAL CHAOS

When there is a local, regional, state or national disaster, some official has to "call" it a disaster. Governmental agencies are generally responsible for officially "declaring" when an event is of worthy merit to be defined within the rigorous guidelines and definitions to qualify an event or incident as a "declared" disaster. These official standards and markers control funding, emergency relief services, public assistance, debris clearance, repair, demolitions, replacements , housing, loans, grants, counseling , health care services, search and rescue, transportation, mass care, mutual aid, changing regulations, tax relief, restoration costs, corpse removals, some litigations and legal implications and exemptions, and immediate and long term financial support or relief. In other words, if it is a "REAL" disaster, it counts for something and procedures are put in place to aid recovery. Rapid recovery happens only after the official has decided it is officially official. Sometimes this happens with astonishing rapid speed and other times it can take what seems like a lifetime. In the meantime, people may be waiting and can be terribly upset and distressed. They know it was a disaster because they are sitting in the rubble that used to be their organized lives.

Case Example

The earthquake hit at 8:34 a.m. The epicenter was on the west side of Washington State which was declared an official disaster. FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) was on the scene quickly to give support and manage media coverage. Teams evaluated damage and made dollar assessments. Across the state, on the east side of the mountains , the earthquake was recorded as minor and these counties were not within the official disaster area. They did not qualify for FEMA response.

The Skinners, who lived in a rural county, discovered that their driveway , the only entrance to their home and their home-based business, had buckled. The way the highway was set, their customer-based productivity depended on the turn -around in their driveway off the highway. Someone suggested the earthquake might have caused it. This idea had not occurred to them so they began making phone calls. No one had claimed any damage in the county. As channels began to shift, FEMA was suspicious but officially polite and came to their home to evaluate. After seeing the damage, the FEMA representative did a thorough investigation and discovered that their brick home had been split down the middle. The representative was clear that indeed this was earthquake damage and helped them file a report. Within 24 hours the county had received FEMA's report and was declared an official disaster area. Other people started calling with damage reports of disrupted hot water heaters, cracked fences, well damage, and various effects of the tremblor. The Skinners received a check from FEMA that helped pay for the repair of the driveway. FEMA paid $732.00 for the driveway. The damage from disrupted services was a loss of approximately $24,000 in revenue.

Learning Byte

The Skinners were happy with FEMA. Their representatives were courteous and professional and didn't treat the couple like they were trying to bilk the system. But they did wait a long time to get financial help. The neighbors, who had waited longer to report, became angry that FEMA had not come sooner and rallied together in angry meetings. Several home businesses and farms had delays, loss of productivity, and additional expenses incurred prior to the official declaration of disaster.

DO THIS : Learn how disasters are officially declared in your city, county, and state. New Homeland Security regulations may determine how disaster services work in your area.

DON'T : Make assumptions without good information, and don't wait too long to ask for help.