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National Emergency Relief Summit
March 2014
Noel Clement Head of Australian Services
Overview
1. Context
• Red Cross in emergency management
2. Relief & Recovery
• Disaster impacts/human needs
• National Principles for Disaster Recovery
• Emergency Appeals
3. Lessons/challenges
• Overarching
• Appeals related
• Auxiliary to government
• Partnerships at all levels of government
• Responsibilities under State/ Territory
EM arrangements
• Other Partnerships • Australian Psychological Society
• Save the Children
• Corporate support
Red Cross response – the framework Red Cross role in Emergency Management
Emergency Services Strategy 2010-2015
The aim:
To mobilise the power of humanity to build resilience in communities before, during and after emergencies.
Red Cross Strategy - Outcomes Focus
1. Preparedness
2. Response
3. Recovery
4. Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander communities
Relief & Recovery
• Disaster impacts/human needs
• National Principles for Disaster Recovery
• Emergency Appeals
Where does Emergency Relief fit in?
• Disasters impacts upon, individuals, families, places, networks, businesses,
livelihoods
• People may lose a lifetime of memories, belongings, treasured pets,
irreplaceable possessions and years of hard work
• No two people experience
the same disaster
• The consequences are long,
complex and disruptive
Disaster impacts
Scenario
• What do I need?
• Who can provide it?
• Who’s in charge?
Counseling/rebuilding/’getting over it’ • Public interest and perception
• Time to rebuild
• Counseling v. practical assistance/effort
Practical matters • Decision making
• Housing/living arrangements
• Children’s schools
Sustaining the effort in a continually changing environment • Work
• Clearing/rebuilding
• Living arrangements (caravans/relocation?)
• Family stresses
Managing role tensions, stress & fatigue • Balancing the community role with family and personal recovery
• Cumulative Stress
• Fatigue
The challenges – individual and community
• Range of community recovery services
• Information
• Community and personal support
• Emergency Relief/ Financial assistance
• Mental health support
• Community development and resources
• Type, range and quantum of services dependent on impact of
disaster and needs of individuals and communities
Services – individual and community
Disaster recovery in Australia
• Supporting communities to work together during adversity
• Recognising and contributing to individual and community resilience
• Working with and empowering communities physical, environmental & economic elements, together with psychosocial wellbeing
• Enhancing social and natural environments, infrastructure and economies
National principles for disaster recovery
A joint approach to disaster recovery:
• whole of government
• whole of community
A national collaboration owned and shared by many:
• governments at all levels
• not for profit sector
• the many individuals working in emergency management and recovery
A strong focus on community led recovery:
• applicable to all aspects of recovery
• promote self-reliance, shared responsibility and mutual obligation
Developed and revised by the Disaster Recovery Sub Committee (DRSC) of the Community and
Disability Services Ministers’ Advisory Council (CDSMAC)
National principles for disaster recovery
Six key interrelated concepts:
1. Understanding the context
2. Recognising the complexity
3. Using community led approaches
4. Ensuring coordination of all activities
5. Employing effective communication
6. Acknowledging and building capacity
Potential Emergency Relief measures
State/Territory Governments • Emergency assistance
• Temporary living
• Household rebuild/repair
Australian Government grants • Centrelink Disaster Relief payment
Appeals • Not for profits
• Community groups – new and existing
Material aid/donated goods • Corporate
• Individual generosity
Emergency Relief - Observations
o Can be divisive if impact and community need are not well understood
o Majority of recipients are typically not used to accessing financial assistance
o Expectations of beneficiaries can be varied
o Expectations of donors need to be carefully managed
o Prescribed versus empowerment approaches
Financial assistance
• Often unnecessarily complex
• Coordination challenges – duplication and gaps
• Availability driven by intangibles such as media interest & public response
Donated goods
• Balancing people’s desire to give/help with need/dignity of those affected
• Potential impact on local economic recovery (e.g. local stores)
Appeals - Black Saturday 2009
Red Cross launched the Victorian Bushfire Appeal in partnership
with the Victorian and Australian governments on 8 February
• Close to 600,000 people donated to the Appeal
• 93% of the donations came from individuals
• 13 simultaneous call centres were in operation during collection process
• 350,000 calls received in one 3 hour period alone
Appeals - Black Saturday 2009
Background:
• 173 people deceased
• Hundreds of people injured
• Thousands of homes and properties damaged or destroyed
• Major impact on community infrastructure
• Major economic impacts
Exercise:
How would you allocate the funds?
• $401m (including interest)
Appeals - Black Saturday 2009
• Independent advisory panel made up of community leaders
established to oversee the Appeal Fund’s operation
• Administration undertaken through Victorian Government
Department of Human Services (no costs taken from the fund)
• $320m (80%) to individuals and families
• $81m to communities
• $225m on housing support
• More than $240m (60%) distributed in the first 12 months
• 46,000 payments made to date
Appeals - Black Saturday 2009
Initial emergency payments included:
• Compassion and Bereavement Payment
• Initial Home Dislocation Payment
• Severe Injury Payment
• Household Repairs Payment
• Tools of Trade Payment
• Exceptional Hardship Support Payment
• Rebuilding and recovery payments
Appeals - Black Saturday 2009
Subsequent Rebuilding and recovery payments
included:
• Destroyed Homes Payment
• Damaged Homes Payment
• Tenant Contents Payment
• Rural Properties Recovery Payment
• Severe Injury Transition to Home Payment
Appeals – Examples of Principles
• Ensure input from the affected community
• Distribution should be accessible, equitable and timely
• Guidelines should be well-publicised and accessible
• Individual and community recovery should be supported
• All money collected should be disbursed
• Separate appeals should be coordinated or, if possible,
combined
• Consideration should be given to other forms of financial
assistance available (capacity to recover)
• Appeal funds should be used for grants, not loans
• Assistance should not act as a disincentive to insurance
Lessons & Challenges
Overarching:
• Importance of a cohesive, integrated response -
coordinating diversity of effort to maximise outcomes
• Prompt Response/Proactivity versus sensitivity to
community and individual circumstances
• When is an appeal appropriate?
• Impact of an appeal on wider organisation’s work
• Diversity of impacts and impacted groups
Lessons & challenges
Appeals:
•The Appeal ‘wave’ – highs and lows
•Tension between immediacy & ensuring full probity - incremental release of funds
• Building and maintaining trust in the appeal – independence of decision making versus organisation control
•Critical importance of communication and transparency
•Legislation/ taxation implications – “relief of distress”
•Distribution costs and infrastructure
•Role of the Media and Public scrutiny
•Donor intent/ expectations of beneficiaries
•Empowerment/dependency
•Long term nature of recovery
Lessons & challenges