The People In Charge of the Evacuation Centers
In my previous post I wrote these.
Reason 2: The people managing the situation in the evacuation centers
- do not always have enough resources to attend to emergency situations that might suddenly occur
- do not really have control over the people staying at the evacuation centers
- do not usually have the authority to call the shots when big decisions are to be made immediately
- do not usually have the proper training to handle all possible situations that might occur there
- do not usually have enough communication devices to use in all possible situtations
As a grade school student I was already aware that having a set of classroom officers meant there would be a group of people who would be in charge of the orderliness of our class and classroom.
Which makes me ask this question.
Is there a fixed group of people in charge of disaster management in each town/city/municipality/baranggay? Or are they just assigned right before a storm?
Having a permanent group of people assigned would mean there would be continuity in the training, faces for the people to become familiarity with, development of trust between the people and those in charge of disaster management on a long term basis.
It’s like having superheroes to rely on. We see their faces everyday everywhere. We know who to call when this kind of problem arrives. The same should be applied to the local disaster management teams. The people should know who in the locality are their “superheroes” when disaster strikes.
Fixed group of people get trained regularly to handle disaster management scenarios. They get to receive training locally, nationally and possibly even from trainors outside our country. With consistent training, they would be able to handle more kinds of scenarios than the “just-assigned-before-the-storm” type of people. They would also know exactly what kinds of support equipment would be needed in their locality. If improvisations are needed they would also be able to make some.
Through the regular training, they would be able to establish networks with others like them. Thus they would be able to identify whom within the network has the equipment they need should they need it. And if it is possible for them to borrow such equipment ahead of time for their locality.
When the people realize that the people handling them are trained and knowledgeable in disaster management, respect shall be gained. With respect would come trust in what they would say when it is needed, especially when asking the people to relocate before the storm. They could also command more authority during rescues and within the evacuation centers themselves.
This group of people would then be known throughout the network of disaster management teams as the authority to communicate with during storms. No need to pass the call to someone else. They are there, they could receive any calls for help or instruction from higher ranks. They could also be the ones to make sure that the relief goods were received and distributed properly.
The clue is having a permanent group of people assigned to this task, regardless of the changes in their position or the people with higher rank than theirs.
In a classroom, there are very few students who do not follow the class officers. Because they know that whether they like it or not, they are going to be the class officers for the whole school year.
In a disaster, within a locality, if they know who belongs to the disaster management team, and that when they are in the evacuation centers they have no other recourse but to follow them, then orderliness can be gained.
As I said, all of these are easy to say but hard to do, I know. But if the people in charge during these situations really have the integrity to be in charge not because someone just hand picked them but rather because they have been trained for it, then it would be easier for the people to listen and conform.
TO BE CONTINUED
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