Disaster Survivor Assistance Nevada Preparedness Summit June 2015 - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Disaster Survivor Assistance

Nevada Preparedness Summit June 2015

Disaster Survivor Assistance Established

• In an effort to focus on a survivor-centric approach to

providing disaster assistance based on lessons learned in previous disasters, FEMA leadership:

• Transferred the Community Relations program from the

Office of External Affairs (OEA) to the Recovery Directorate, and

• Changed the name of the cadre to Disaster Survivor

Assistance (DSA)

• DSA reports directly to Operations Section in the Joint

Field Office (JFO).

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DSA Mission

• Build and sustain an expeditionary

cadre that can address disaster survivor’s immediate needs by:

• Establishing a timely presence;
• Providing in-person, tailored

information and services;

• Providing referrals to Whole

Community partners as needed;

• Collecting targeted information to

support decision-making; and

• Identifying public information needs

so critical messaging can be developed and disseminated.

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Survivor Centric Focus

• Register survivors where

they live or work

• Bring services directly to

those who need them

• Inclusion of Whole

Community partners for provision of expanded program services

• Use of technological

tools to enhance mobile capabilities

4

Value-Added of DSA

• The DSA Teams are a professional “force

multiplier” that will support State, Local, Tribal, Territorial and Federal requirements in the field by:

• Quickly deploying in anticipation of (or immediately

following) a disaster declaration;

• Providing assistance to survivors who need the most

help; and

• Providing operational awareness of conditions, needs,

and activity in the affected area

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Five (5) Essential Functions of DSA

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AIR

Registration Intake Case Status Inquiries and Updates Survivor Needs Assessment Referrals to Whole Community Partners

Neighborhoods Local Government Community Groups Private Sector Town Hall Meetings Mobile Disaster Recovery Center Disaster Recovery Center

DSA Essential Functions:

• 1. Assess, Inform, Report (AIR) Mission
• 2. Registration Intake
• 3. Case Status Inquiries & Updates
• 4. Survivor Needs Assessment
• 5. Referral to Whole Community Partners

Disaster Survivor Assistance Phased Approach

DSA Outreach Products and Reports

• DSA members working in impacted communities

will distribute pre-approved collateral materials to include:

Business Cards Flyers Brochures Fact Sheets Door Hangers Disaster Assistance Publications

• Spot Report, Daily Summary Report, AIR

Checklist

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Technology Requirements

• The benefits of implementing these operational

requirements allow for a more agile mobile workforce that leverages technology to support survivors who need the most help.

• The Disaster Survivor Assistance cadre is

designed to function in a 100% mobile environment and the concept of operations requires field teams to provide services directly to disaster survivors on site and in person.

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Technology

• The Disaster Survivor Assistance crews

utilize iPads to register survivors, perform case status inquiries and updates, and provide referrals to resources

Benefits of DSA

• A new capability that builds on already existing resources

within FEMA.

• Meant to complement the already existing operational

structure in the field.

• Another option for survivors – Tele-registration,

Web/Mobile Registration, Visiting Disaster Recovery Centers.

• Provides real-time situational awareness of unmet needs,

infrastructure issues, etc.

• Additional surge staff to support states and local

communities as needed.

• Another tool in the toolbox.

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Next Steps…

• Develop Work Plan and Strategy

moving forward

• Coordination with Whole Community Partners

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Questions???

Bea Riddle, FEMA Region IX Disaster Survivor Specialist Bea.Riddle@fema.dhs.gov 225-910-5156