I cannot yet claim any real expertise in the arena of disaster preparedness, but this is a topic that interests me a great deal. I’ve learned what I know through participation on United Way of King County’s System Support Impact Council, a committee that advises United Way regarding allocations in the areas of disaster preparedness, access to human services, and capacity building of the overall human service system. Our mission is to contribute to a more resilient human services system for King County. Serving on this committee, formed just a few months before Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, has been a great learning experience. Prior, I had little interest in disaster preparedness. My thinking went something like this: “Aren’t people aware that for many in our community (homeless folks, survivors of domestic violence, etc.), today was a disaster? Why invest money in what might happen when we could address what was definitely happening? Furthermore, my stereotypical image of a prepared individual was, well, not entirely positive. Now, I see that for nonprofit organizations as well as individuals, there is great value is planning for disasters, and that this process makes an organization stronger and better able to weather crises of any sort.
If I were to sum up disaster preparedness, it would be the same mantra you hear in a fundraising training: it’s all about relationships! Yep: social capital, bridging across differences, building communications networks, asset mapping. This is why it is so exciting, because preparing for a disaster involves doing the same things that build a stronger, more collaborative nonprofit sector. We benefit whether or not the big one ever hits.
I’ll be teaching a workshop on board and organizational resilience at the Nonprofit Governance Conference this Friday in Tacoma. It’s been a great chance to think about strategies for building resilience in groups. One thing I’ll be asking participants to think about at my session is who they would like to be with if “The Big One” strikes. I’m betting they’ll think of family members and trusted friends first, rather than experts in disaster preparedness. In other words, to quote an old bumper sticker, “I don’t care what you know until I know how much you care.” My advice is to store water, but also to go and meet your neighbors!