Interacting to save lives: 'a cry for help.'

One of the greatest challenges to professionals working in the field of disaster mitigation is the inevitable chaos and breakdown of communications that can occur as the world responds to a cry for help.

By now, there is no more familiar sight to relief workers than that of poorly-wrapped and unlabelled boxes of emergency donations left unused on airport tarmacs because there is no time to sort them out, or the visits to a disaster-stricken area of foreign VIPs that distract attention from coping with the crisis at hand.

These are only two of a laundry list of examples of why there is such a pressing need for coordination and communication between foreign aid donors and disaster prevention agencies, as well as local relief teams and government officials. As disaster prevention has grown, so has the need to educate those volunteering to help out on the "dos and don'ts" of responding to disasters.

"I network with the public and with ethnic groups in this country to get them to try not to send inappropriate items", said Lisa Mullins, Programme Officer for Foreign Disaster Assistance of the Washington, D.C.-based InterAction network. "A part of my job is to educate people about what's needed in a crisis."

InterAction is a broad coalition of 125 private and voluntary organizations that provide international humanitarian assistance of various kinds, such as development, education, refugee assistance, literacy and international public policy.

InterAction was founded in 1984 as "a professional forum for cooperation, joint planning and an exchange of information" about disasters. Its purpose is to maximize available public and private resources, avoid duplication of efforts by private and voluntary organizations, and encourage preparedness planning.

It also serves as a liaison between such frontline UN agencies as the Office of the UN Disaster Relief Coordinator (UNDRO) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP), among others. When a disaster strikes, UNDRO will send emergency teams to assess the needs of the affected community, then alert InterActin, which helps coordinate the response of both voluntary agencies and public donations.

"Some of the principal disaster agencies operate in the United States", explained Ms. Mullins. "There is a strong need for coordination and to compare notes. For example, if an agency has made inroads in a country or has a special contact that might be useful to another group, then we'll pass that information along."

Since time is always of the essence, the coalition uses computer "bulletin boards" to keep member groups abreast of developments. Once the initial critical period of the disaster is over, there still remain many meetings with government officials, UN agencies, donor groups and the general public. "After a disaster, we pull together to discuss what each agency is doing", Ms. Mullins stated. "We also meet separately to discuss issues of common concern."

As a coalition of non-governmental groups, InterAction cannot make international policy concerning disaster mitigation, but it can influence such policy. "We do try to bring to bear whatever we can on the United States Government on a given issue", said Ms. Mullins. "We are in contact with the public and aware of how the various communities are feeling about a particular issue."

"NGOs play an increasingly important role in disaster mitigation efforts", said Philippe Boulle, head of UNDRO's New York office. He praised InterAction as "our link" to voluntary agencies.

"Because our work is in the area of sudden disaster, we work closely with groups like Doctors Without Borders and the International Red Cross", Mr. Boulle said. "There are always a lot of logistical problems and a great need for coordination."

The shift in emphasis to disaster preparedness also has meant integrating disaster mitigation into development plans from the beginning, since many countries do not have a national infrastructure capable of managing large-scale programmes.

Similarly, national emergency plans have to be tailored to country resources. It is common for development workers in the field to be involved in training local citizens in communities where contacts and operations are already established. This is particularly true in cases where the disasters are "slow moving" or seasonal, or involve epidemics of disease or famine.

"A tremendous amount can be done on improving mitigation by development workers", said Michael Priestley of UNDP, a senior disaster prevention expert. He cited food security schemes and ways of studying traditional responses to famine as two examples. In the field of health, agriculture, refugee assistance and literacy, "there's an obvious overlap between development and disaster work", he added.

In 1990, InterAction published a pamphlet entitled Disaster Response: When Good Intentions Aren't Enough. It spells out what is helpful and what is not in cases of disasters. It is considered a good example of the type of practical information needed by both the public at large and donor groups.

At the top of the "what's helpful" list are cash or credit donations made through international agencies or well-established voluntary organizations. On the "what's not helpful" agenda are donations of clothing and food, which are discouraged, as are "well-intentioned" foreign volunteers. Medicine is helpful only if absolutely fresh and sent through proper distribution channels, such as the Red Cross or the World Health Organization. "We want to educate them, and we also want to encourage their response", Ms. Mullins explained.