DRRAG's Disaster Relief Process

The disaster operations community uses a five phase emergency management cycle as a tool for planning, discussion and dividing work into phases. The four phases to the emergency management cycle overlap and are usually blurred in any real situation, but the model is a convenient concept device. The four phases of the emergency management cycle are:

Prepare, Respond, Recover, Rebuild and Mitigate

It is important to understand the cyclical nature of emergency management: Each phase leads into the next, and each response effort leads into an assessment of what went right and wrong, kicking off the next planning and preparation phase. It should also be understood that to be ready for an emergency, the preparation phase is the crucial piece. Rotary Clubs around the world are the crucial entities of the "preparation" componant. The cycle of DRRAG engagement includes activities described below:

Prepare

• Planning (hazard and risk assessment, emergency operations planning, contingency planning)
• Procurement and implementation (necessary systems and procedures)
• Training and exercising (probably the most important activity)
• After-action debriefs and evaluations and lessons learned
• Rotary Clubs engaging local Emergency Management organizations
• Pre-disaster risk reduction
• Post-disaster risk reduction planned to be built into recovery projects

• Assisting in the acquisition, development and provision of training materials
• Disaster management seminars and workshops
• Annual Rotary disaster management institute/workshop
• Participation with and facilitating club and district training meetings and committee development
• Adherence to minimum Humanitarian and SPHERE standards for relief operations
• Undertaking sector training programs
• Maintaining current Rotary disaster operations library
• Timely provision of  "best practice" updates

• Club/district hazard analysis and risk assessment
• Partnership networking
• Disaster plan development, implementation and maintenance
• IT assistance
• Emergency radio and contact communications
• Skill set inventory and volunteer coordination
• Communications networking and coordination of Rotary resources

• Disaster project management systems
• Emergency response planning systems
• Recovery planning systems
• National Incident command system
• Information management systems
• Logistic control systems

Respond

• Initial emergency activities (public safety and security, firefighting and hazardous materials containment, search and rescue, sheltering and evacuation, etc)
• Initial damage assessment
• Restoration of lifelines
• Managing district, zone and regional cooperation and interoperability
• Coordinating the "Rotary" response (i.e. Rotary entities in the Disaster Relief "business")

Recover

• Initial and long-term recovery efforts
• Surge capacity assistance
• Financial management assistance
• Fund raising coordination
• Both public and private sectors:
  1. Medical and public health
  2. Infrastructure (roads, water, sewer, power, communications, etc)
  3. Education
  4. Business/economy

DRRAG is a Rotary recognized Rotarian Action Group and intend to engage and mobilize Rotary clubs to champion collaborative, sustainable International Development initiatives that meet the principles of effective community development following a disaster including:

• Local Ownership;
• Environmental sustainability; and,
• Gender Equality.

The overall intent of the DRRAG Strategic Plan is to develop a framework that will allow DRRAG, in conjunction with the worldwide network of Rotary International (RI) and other qualified organizations and individuals, to continue as an effective partner in facilitating the development and implementation of sustainable international development programs during the "rebuilding" phase of the disaster management continuum. In doing this, DRRAG will facilitate the application process with the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International to provide "World Community Service" matching grants.

These programs will increase the capacity within developing countries and communities to meet their expressed needs in how to best collaborate with them in eradicating extreme poverty, and helping communities move further toward a market economy and civil society capable of achieving an acceptable and sustainable quality of life for individuals.

Rebuild

To guide and control our activities we have adopted a number of generally accepted, fundamental humanitarian priciples including: (a) the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the other documents of the International Bill of Human Rights; (b) the Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and Non-Governmental Organizations in Disaster Relief; (c) the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response (SPHERE Standards); and, (d) the core values of Rotary International, including the Objects of Rotary, The Four-Way Test and Service above Self.