[LeArc] NVOAD releases recovery manual

[Duane Whittingham]

LOUISVILLE, Ken. (May 17, 2004) —
National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD) released a 
revised and updated "Long-Term Recovery Manual" available at the NVOAD 
Web site.

"We are delighted to offer this update for use by anyone involved in 
disaster response, from community and faith-based recovery groups, to 
state and federal response agencies, and especially to our NVOAD 
members and partner groups," said Arthur Jackson, chair of NVOAD's 
long-term recovery committee.

NVOAD members began their annual conference today in Louisville, Ken., 
and will convene through Friday.

NVOAD is a coalition that aims to streamline planning efforts by many 
voluntary organizations responding to disasters. The goal is to 
provide less duplication in service by communicating with each other 
before disaster strikes. Once disasters occur, NVOAD or an affiliated 
state VOAD encourages members and other voluntary agencies to convene 
on site. NVOAD helps a wide variety of volunteers and organizations 
work together in a crisis.

Jackson, who also represents the Christian Reformed World Relief 
Committee as well as Church World Service (CWS), said as many as 50 
people reviewed and provided input into the design and content of the 
latest long-term recovery manual.

"We strived for a comprehensive document, including the latest and 
newest information, to be immensely helpful to those who assist 
disaster-struck communities," he said.

The 33-page manual overviews successful models for organizing 
long-term recovery structures, offering hands-on tips and sequential 
steps for those not experienced in handling post-disaster situations.

It overviews the phases of a disaster, as well as definitions of a 
state and federally declared disaster. Then it details steps of 
operating a long-term recovery group, providing sample by-laws, a 
sample board structure, and other operational essentials.

There is no rigid definition for a successful long-term recovery group 
model, explains the manual. Depending on the community involved, the 
group can become a long-term recovery organization with a formal 
structure; a long-term recovery committee that provides a "table" or a 
venue for collaborative and coordinated recovery efforts; or an 
interfaith or faith-based group that has faith community values and 
leadership in its core mission.

After these long-term recovery models are explained, a dozen 
appendices - what NVOAD members like to call "the tool box" -- offers 
a "one-stop shopping center" for information on everything from 
commonly used acronyms to donations management.

"The tool box provides information and sample documents designed to 
enhance areas of activity and structure," explained Linda Reed Brown, 
associate director for domestic response with CWS. She served on the 
revision task force with Jackson.

Expanded appendices feature sections on donations, as well as 
volunteer and case management. There are new appendices on emotional, 
spiritual and mental health care in long-term recovery, and on 
mitigation. "All serve to make this manual a valuable resource," said 
Bev Hoover of the American Red Cross, who also served on the revision 
task force.

The NVOAD board of directors believes the manual will enhance 
sustainable recovery efforts, said Cheryl Tyiska of the National 
Organization for Victim Assistance. Tyiska is president of the NVOAD.

"The inclusion of the VOAD movement as a partner in long-term recovery 
serves as an encouragement and reminder to state, county and community 
VOADs of the need for their particular combined efforts in disaster 
response," she said.

Jackson said NVOAD plans to translate the manual into Spanish. "The 
manual will also be subject to regular updates and even expansion for 
a rapidly changing world of disaster recovery," he said.

Jackson said the revised manual builds on work done in years past. "I 
want to acknowledge the terrific work done on the original manual in 
1999. That document has been of great use in organizing and operating 
long-term recovery groups, and in understanding the value of 
partnering," he said. "Enhanced tools for assisting in the 
organizational and operational aspects of long-term recovery efforts 
such as the value of mental, emotional and spiritual care, and 
emphasis on education and mitigation, along with an updated NVOAD 
member services section and Web site pages make this a current and 
hopefully a user-friendly document."

Long-term response is an ever-changing field, he added. "Substantial 
changes have occurred in both early response and long-term recovery, 
including reorganization in many of the national response partners. We 
plan to have a small task force continually looking at this manual 
with a view to keeping it current, although we desire to give it an 
appropriate period as written before doing other than adding more 
helps to the 'tool box' area."

The tools offered in the revised manual reflect what seems to be an 
increasing trend of donor accountability and record-keeping 
requirements, said Jackson. "We realize that additional documentation 
requirements are placed on community and faith-based recovery groups, 
especially in financial and case management record keeping and 
reporting," he said.

The manual offers suggestions for financial controls - including tips 
on developing a budget - to assure donors that the recovery group 
takes seriously its public trust.

Ideally, a long-term recovery group is able to "work itself out of a 
job" while leaving a loose structure in place to cope with the next 
disaster. The manual offers steps for closing out a recovery group if 
all disaster-related needs have been met, if resources are exhausted, 
or if all cases have been referred to other providers.


http://www.nvoad.org/

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