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Publication #FAR5038

 

Local Effects Support Disaster Recovery1

Mark Brennan2

Figure 1. 
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The dramatic and tragic events of the recent hurricane seasons have brought to light the often-overlooked thousands of volunteers contributing countless hours to preparation and recovery efforts. After Hurricane Katrina, government officials immediately called on local citizens to volunteer their time, money, and sweat equity in addressing this disaster. Volunteers and active community residents served as the first line of response as rescuers, caretakers, and, in many cases, the final comforting companions to the dying.

These disasters can tear families apart, often leaving children and elderly vulnerable to emotional distress, illness, loss of housing, and hunger. With coordinated volunteer efforts, communities can better protect their families, lessen the impacts, and rebuild quickly and efficiently.

University of Florida community researchers explain that local residents and groups are in a position to best identify their community's immediate needs, coordinate preparations, supplement official response efforts, and implement emergency response programs. Local communities can pull together, provide a sense of connection, and decrease the isolation and abandonment that is often felt among residents in times of disaster.

The quality and extent of community response may hold the key to minimizing disaster effects, maintaining order, increasing hope, and maximizing recovery efforts.

Listening, learning, and living together: it's the science of life. "Family Album" is a co-production of University of Florida IFAS Extension, the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences and of WUFT-FM. If you'd like to learn more, please visit our website at http://www.familyalbumradio.org.

To listen to the radio broadcast:

http://www.radiosource.net/radio_stories/297.mp3

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References

Brennan, M. A., Flint, C., and Barnett, R. (2005). Community volunteers: The front line of disaster response. Journal of Volunteer Administration, 23(4), 52-56.

Footnotes

1.

This document is FAR5038, one of a series of the Family Youth and Community Sciences Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Broadcast as program 297 and published October 2010. Revised November 2010. Reviewed March 2012. In the interest of time and/or clarity, the broadcast version of this script may have been modified. Visit the EDIS website at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

2.

Mark Brennan, associate professor, Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Nick T. Place, Dean.