All for One: Last Week's Disaster Relief Call in Review
Floods and tornados and fires, oh my! It's hard to understand disasters until one actually strikes your community. And if you're living through one right now, it may be hard to remember life before disaster struck -- or to picture a better future.
Last week's "When Disaster Strikes" call offered a window into the worlds of disaster preparation and recovery. The good news is, whether you're thinking ahead or in the thick of it, the secrets are pretty much the same.
Speakers Daniel Homsey of San Francisco's Neighborhood Empowerment Network, Mayor Bob Dixson of Greensburg, Kansas, and Abby Hall of the EPA's Office of Sustainable Communities all emphasized a few big ideas for dealing with disasters:
- Build Resilient Communities. Strengthen local capacity and leadership, plan for a range of possibilities. It's not so much about preparing or recovering from specific disasters, but about building strong communities that are ready for whatever comes their way.
- All for One... And One for All. Help community members stick together like the three musketeers. The more connections you build, the more likely people will be to help each other and help themselves, whether they're in the midst of a disaster or not.
- Open Up Government. Like it or not, everyone from local officials to the feds will be involved in planning, emergency management, and recovery, and government needs to work well with citizens and volunteer groups. Start now by helping government open up to participation and by and helping people trust government. When you're in the thick of it, be sure local officials stay open and keep everyone involved.
If you want to hear more and learn about our speakers' experiences in communities across the country, check out the call notes in Google docs or listen to the Podcast below.
