Week2

What happens after a natural disaster?

In the aftermath of a disaster, emergency operations are activated by
various command centres. If these operations are effective, the impact of
the disaster on affected communities can be reduced and it can take less
time for communities to recover. We will use a study of Australia’s 2019-
2020 bushfire season to explore this topic.

Our focus
We will look at key priorities for providing support required for communities
to bounce back from bushfires.

The two focus elements of recovery are government/institutional responses

and community-led recovery facilitated through social capital (the effective
functioning of communities through interpersonal relationships, a shared
sense of identity, shared values, trust, cooperation, and reciprocity).

 What difference, if any, is there between relief and recovery?

 What are some of the challenges that organisations are faced with
when providing relief after a disaster?
 What are the different types of support communities and individuals
require after a bushfire?
Disaster Relief vs Disaster Recovery

The difference between disaster relief and recovery can broadly be

defined based upon timeframes. Relief is immediate support provided
to minimise suffering and provide basic human needs such as food,
water and shelter. Recovery is focused on restoring quality of life and
community services to pre-disaster levels.

Disaster relief
The disaster relief phase involves providing direct assistance through
measures to alleviate suffering and often by providing financial assistance
to people who are impacted. Relief can also include counselling and other
support services.

Relief is significant because it is a critical to engage with the impacted

community at a time when people are most at-risk. Activities in the relief
phase include: evacuations, establishment of relief centres, providing
temporary shelter and first aid.

During the relief phase, emergency services are critical and usually in the
case of bushfires involves individual and community volunteers who can
serve and protect people and property. Such organisations in Australia
include Army Reserves and state based services like the Rural Fire Service
(RFS) and Country Fire Authority (CFA). Key stakeholders that engage in
this phase include fire services, police services etc. Relief actions like
providing water supplies and temporary housing often continue to be vital
for months after immediate relief begins.

Disaster recovery
Recovery is about restoring or improving the livelihoods and health, as well
as economic, physical, social, cultural events and environments of a
disaster-affected community.

The United Nations office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) has
established the Sendai Framework for disaster risk reduction. The targets
of this framework are to reduce mortality of disasters, reduce the number of
people affected by disaster globally, reduce economic losses and reduce
damage to infrastructure.

The 3 phases of recovery

There are three commonly accepted phases of disaster recovery,
including:
1) Humanitarian relief - search and rescue, temporary shelters, medical
care etc.
2) Restoration of basic services - supply clean water, food, and sanitation,
energy, mobility, health care needs etc.
3) Long-term reconstruction phase - infrastructure reconstruction, repair or
replacement of building/production equipment, asset recovery by
households etc.
Challenges involved in bushfire relief and recovery:

In the aftermath of a bushfire, there can be a breakdown of critical

infrastructure such as electricity, communication, transport etc.

 Organising transportation and other logistics for the distribution of

relief materials (e.g. food, water, temporary shelter etc.) may be
difficult for authorities.
 During or after bushfires, destroyed infrastructure (e.g. electricity
poles/cables) may also impede affected communities from receiving
humanitarian relief due to poor access.
 Isolated individuals with few social ties are less likely to be rescued,
seek medical help, take preventative action such as evacuate, and
receive assistance from others, such as shelter.

The 2019/20 bushfire season

By the numbers:

 More than 46 million acres (72,000 square miles) of land were burnt
– roughly the same area as the entire country of Syria
 At least 3,500 homes and thousands of other buildings were lost
 34 deaths occurred as a direct result of bushfire impacts
 At least 80 percent of the Blue Mountains World Heritage area in
New South Wales (NSW) and 53 percent of the Gondwana World
Heritage rainforests in Queensland (QLD) were burnt
National Bushfire Recovery Agency & Relief Fund

On 6 January 2020, the National Bushfire Recovery Agency was

established by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, to lead and
coordinate a national response to rebuilding communities affected by
bushfires across large parts of Australia in the 2019 Bushfire event. The
Agency is responsible for administering a National Bushfire Recovery Fund
which is supporting recovery efforts across Australia. $AU 2 billion was
allocated to this fund, in addition to other services and support available
under existing disaster support mechanisms. You can view up to date
allocation of those funds here.

Money doesn’t generally solve a problem all by itself. What other factors are crucial for
recovery funding like this to be effective?

Key priorities of the National Recovery Agency include provision of grants

for urgent recovery needs. This also involved providing mental health
packages; infrastructure projects to support economic, community and
industry recovery as well as promote resilience through support of the
environment and native wildlife amongst others.

The National Bushfire Recovery Agency provides assistance in various

categories:

Individuals and families

Small businesses and primary producers

Tourism

Wildlife and habitat restoration

Local Government

Accessing support
Accessing support for families and Individuals.
In Australia, the National Bushfire Recovery Agency offers support for
individuals and families affected by bushfires by providing support
through:

 Disaster recovery payment

 Disaster recovery allowance
 Support for carers
 Debt recovery (repayment pauses)
 Mental health support
 Emergency relief through charities

Other services include support for job seekers; financial counselling; health
advice; back to school early education and care assistance.

Non-Governmental Organisations like the Red Cross, Salvation Army, St

Vincent de Paul and Lifeline amongst others offer assistance in relief and
recovery. All of these services assist with the reduction of the impact of
Bushfires on affected individuals and families.

Accessing Support: Mental health

People affected by bushfires can seek immediate counselling sessions
through mental health services commissioned by local primary health
networks. Mental health support services can be made available through
the following:

General Practitioners (GPs)

Psychologists

Occupational therapists

Social workers

Emergency services personnel can also face trauma and can access
informed care and psychological first aid which can be provided by health
professionals and organisations that manage frontline emergency staff
which also include firefighters.
Support for Individuals

Safety and security

In the aftermath of a bushfire disaster, providing safety and security
helps to support and reassure individuals and families. Maintaining
safe working conditions for vulnerable people can ensure that no
other accidents happen while communities are recovering. Safety
also involves assistance for individuals and groups that have suffered
from traumatic injuries and experiences because of bushfires.

Like bushfire impacts, recovery activities and services can fall into various
categories:

 Health, including medical, allied health and clinical services, public

health (water, sanitation, hazardous materials, food security, mental
health support and health promotion activities)
 Shelter, including accommodation in the short, medium and long-
term
  Psychosocial support, including individual and community activities
and services. Safety and security
 Social recovery activities to address safety and security may include:
 Providing timely information about safety, protection issues and
actions to address safety and wellbeing issues during demolition or
securing damaged buildings.
 Protection for children who as a result of the disaster are orphaned or
separated from their families
 Maintenance of safe working environments, as well as safe
environments for vulnerable people (for example, ensuring ‘working
with children check’ for all workers).
Health
Responding to the health needs in the recovery phase involves the
immediate and ongoing care for affected individuals and communities.

One of the largest impacts on health can be the spread of contagious

diseases. Where there is damage to properties and sewage systems there
can be an increase in the spread of diseases. Authorities should implement
measures such as vaccine programs if, for example, there is an increase in
diagnosis of flu or other contagious illnesses.

Health protection/environmental health is also very important—air quality,

food and water inspections and advice. For instance, ensuring water tank
quality, disposal of spoilt food, review of food preparation procedures in
welfare centres.

Inspections and review of sewerage and other contamination issues that

may impact on the health of the community.

Health promotion activities, like information and advice about heat stress,
clean up, health hazards and other activities that aim to enhance self-care
and address emerging and/or ongoing hazards in recovery.

Psychosocial support
Individuals and households can require psychosocial support in order to
manage mental health concerns and lasting impacts such as PTSD (post-
traumatic stress disorder) which may include:

Psychological first aid

Personal support services such as a carer or disability support worker

Practical support (transport, access, communication, shelter, personal

needs, water, food, clothing and childcare).

© Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

Support for Communities

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Community led bushfire recovery

Community members often become first responders during an emergency

and take actions to save their neighbours and families. An effective
community-led recovery is one that encourages the following:

 Active participation of individuals, families and community groups in

recovery efforts.
 Collaborative partnerships between communities and other
stakeholders involved in the process of recovery
 Prioritisation for the needs of individuals that are directly affected.
The role of communities in disaster recovery
Communities can greatly contribute to resilience and speedy recovery by
encouraging individuals and families to actively participate in the process of
recovery. Forming collaborative partnerships with fire services, police and
healthcare workers also helps communities to recover faster from
bushfires. The impact of religious and other community groups can greatly
contribute to recovery and resilience.

Reconnecting with community for sustainable recovery

In the aftermath of a bushfire, communities need to reconnect as part of the
recovery process, this is called social capital.

Social capital is defined as effective networks and relationships among

people of shared sense of identity, understanding and norms. This enables
every community to function effectively and peacefully.

There are three types of social capital, all of which enhance bushfire
recovery and resilience. They are:

Bonding capital - Bonding social capital enables community individuals

undertake disaster preparation, locate shelter and supplies, and obtain
immediate aid and initial recovery assistance together.

Bridging capital - Bridging social capital comes from involvement in

organisations including civic and political institutions, parent–teacher
associations, sports and interest clubs along with educational and religious
groups.

Linking social capital - Linking social capital concerns relations of

individuals and communities with societal institutions-links to people or
groups further up or lower down the social ladder, essentially breaking
class barriers.

Bridging capital can also reduce a communities’ likelihood of seeking

formal aid from organisations during disasters and increase the likelihood
of social action to respond to disaster victims’ needs.

Communities with higher social capital and community leadership show the
highest satisfaction with community rebuilding and quickest recovery.
Mutual trust and dependence increases awareness of disaster
management and volunteer opportunities and responsibilities. This in turn
supports disaster preparedness and future recovery.