9. CONNECT PEOPLE TO RESOURCES
1. WORKING WITH VOLUNTEERS
OBJECTIVES:
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Identify functions before, during, and after an emergency that could be performed by volunteers.
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Identify volunteer groups in your community or citywide that you may be able to connect with.
THINGS TO CONSIDER:
Many people want to help after an emergency and volunteers can be a great way to connect people to goods and services (think: distributing food/water, canvassing/flyering, clean up, etc.).
Some response operations require technical expertise and are only suitable for trained volunteers. Be familiar with the type of volunteers you’re working with as well as common requirements needed for different types of operations.
Follow these best practices for organizing volunteers:
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Assign team leaders who have experience managing volunteers.
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Have defined tasks.
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Make volunteer groups that are manageable in size.
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Match projects with volunteer group strengths (e.g. language expertise).
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Use t-shirts, vests or some kind of marker to identify groups or tasks.
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Provide leaders and their groups with appropriate materials for their task.
TO DO:
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Identify local volunteer resources and add them to your resource directory.
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Find the CERT in your area and connect with it. Email cert@oem.nyc.gov to contact your CERT’s Team Chief.
RESOURCES:
New York City Community Emergency Response Teams (NYC CERT) are groups of dedicated volunteers who help prepare their neighbors and communities for different types of emergencies. Volunteers go through a ten week training and are assigned to a team in their community district. For more information visit nyc.gov/cert or call 311.
DID YOU KNOW?
CERTs are deployed by NYC Emergency Management and are in constant communication with the City’s Emergency Operation Center when activated. Building a relationship with your local CERT offers access to the most up-to-date information about what is happening in the city.
ALSO...
During large scale emergencies the City will activate a volunteer taskforce that collects and coordinates information about volunteer activities. All volunteer efforts are encouraged to participate in this effort. For more information contact citizencorps@oem.nyc.gov or call 311.
2. CREATING A SPACE
OBJECTIVES:
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Identify operations in your plan that may need a physical space.
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Identify spaces in your community that may be used before, during, and after an emergency.
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Learn what to look for when considering including a physical space in your plan.
THINGS TO CONSIDER:
What are some ways your community may use a space before, during, and after an emergency?
Before (preparedness):
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Host preparedness events
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Conduct outreach
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Build visibility
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Create hub for posting resources and information
After (response):
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Information hub
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Point for collecting/distributing goods
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Volunteer reception site
TO DO:
Refer to the maps that you have included in your plan. Maps can be very helpful in identifying spaces that are spread out throughout your community. Look for spaces that are out of potentially dangerous areas (such as evacuation zones) and that are central to the population you serve.
Using your plan and maps think about what operations you may want to activate during a response and identify spaces that would work. Add them to your resource directory.
Consider the following questions:
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Is the space ADA-accessible?
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Is it a familiar space to people in your community?
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How many people can it hold?
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Who owns it? Would the owner be open to joining your emergency network?
RESOURCES:
NY Rising Community Center Program:
Funded by New York State, this program identified community centers that demonstrated capacity to support local recovery efforts. Check to see if there is a NY Rising Community Center in your area by visiting stormrecovery.ny.gov.
Check out the ADA Checklist for Existing Facilities (adachecklist.org) which offers guidance on how to evaluate the accessibility of structures/ spaces that you may want to use during an emergency response.
Many community spaces may be used before, during, and after an emergency. NYCEM asks communities to identify spaces and submit them through the Share Your Space Survey (nyc.gov/ shareyourspacesurvey). Not only will you help pre-identify spaces for NYCEM to host operations in your community, you can also identify meeting/ training space(s) and information hubs for your community plan.
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