AMERICAN RED CROSS
DISASTER RESPONSE FUNCTIONS
DIRECT SERVICES
EXTERNAL SUPPORT SERVICES
EXTERNAL SUPPORT SERVICES
DIRECT SERVICES
Disaster
Health Services (DHS): Provides emergency and preventive
health services to people affected by disaster and to Red Cross
staff providing disaster relief. Cooperates in approved,
appropriate research designed to mitigate disaster-related illness,
injury, and death. Provides support to persons who have
disaster-related or disaster-aggravated health needs. Assists
disaster victims in finding resources to meet health-related
financial obligations. Provides Red Cross financial assistance to
clients for medical bills, as necessary.
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Disaster
Mental Health Services (DMHS): Provides emergency
and preventive mental health services to people affected by disaster
and to Red Cross workers assigned to a disaster relief operation and
their families; services include educations about stressors and
their effects, methods of coping; and advocacy, crisis
interventions, and referral services to resources to meet mental
health related problems.
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Disaster Welfare Inquiry (DWI):
Responds to inquiries about the health and well being of
individuals and families within the affected area. Collects
information about such persons. Provides services leading to
reunification of family members in the affected area and provides
information for disaster welfare inquiry bulletins issued by
national headquarters to Red Cross units.
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Family Services (FS):
Emergency Assistance provides individual assistance at service
delivery sites and through outreach, by referral to government
and/or voluntary agencies through distribution or financial
assistance. Additional Assistance helps clients plan their recovery
by using all appropriate personal, community, and government
resources. Building and Repair provides technical guidance about
the repair an/or reconstruction of buildings and maintains liaison
with contractors providing these services to the disaster relief
operation.
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Mass Care (MS): Provides
congregate shelter facilities, fixed and mobile feeding services for
disaster victims and emergency workers in the affected area, and
distribution of supplies and commodities to people affected by the
disaster.
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INTERNAL SUPPORT SERVICES
Accounting (AC):
Administers financial aspects of the relief operation. Receives and
expends funds to meet commitments for relief costs, travel and
maintenance of staff, salaries, and other expenditures required for
the relief operation.
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Communications (COM):
Establishes and maintains communications systems for the
disaster relief operation, including telephone, wireless, two-way
radio, satellite and other systems; and serves as liaison with
agencies or organizations providing such services to the relief
operation.
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Damage Assessment (DA):
Determines the size, scope, and impact of the disaster and the
level of damage sustained by dwellings within the affected area.
Develops and distributes maps and statistical data related to the
effects of the disaster and demographics of affected populations.
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Disaster Computer
Operations (DCO): Supports the automation systems of a
relief operation, provides hardware, software and technical support
to operation staff using those systems.
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Local Disaster
Volunteers (LDV): Recruits, places, retains, administers,
supports, and recognizes all volunteers affiliated with affected
units and all spontaneous disaster volunteers who support a disaster
relief operation.
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Logistics (LOG): Acquires
related materials and services through procurement or in-kind
donations. Stores and distributes relief materials; provides
transportation by acquiring, assigning and tracking national and
rental vehicles; acquires and maintains facilities; acquires and
maintains materials and equipment; and tracks, codes and forwards
vendor invoices and chapter reimbursement requests to appropriate
offices for the disaster relief operation.
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Records & Reports
(R&R): Controls and processes Disbursing Orders,
maintains master case files of Disaster Registration and Case
Records, and compiles statistics related to the relief operation
as requested by the Director.
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Staffing (STF): Recruits,
places, administers, supports, and recognizes all paid staff
assigned to the relief operation and those volunteer staff assigned
to the relief operation from outside the affected area.
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Training (TRNG): Orients
all staff assigned to the relief operation and provides operational
training, mobilization training, Disaster Services courses, and/or
capacity building training as needed to support the relief
operation.
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EXTERNAL SUPPORT SERVICES
Fund Raising (FR):
Supports and/or coordinates local, statewide and/or nationwide
fund-raising strategies to raise the cost of the disaster relief
operation.
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Chapter Liaison (LC):
Establishes and maintains effective working relationships with Red
Cross units within the affected area.
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Government Liaison (LG):
Develops and maintains liaison with federal, state, and local
authorities and government units.
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Human Relations
Liaison (LHR): Develops and maintains community relations
in the affected area with individuals and organizations representing
diverse segments of the community, i.e. racial/ethnic groups, people
with disabilities, senior citizens, and different socio-economic
levels to enhance service delivery to those populations.
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Labor Liaison (LL):
Develops and maintains close working relations with organized labor,
provides information to labor organizations about Red Cross services
available to those affected by disaster, contacts such organizations
for help in identifying affected members, potential volunteer
resources and in-kind donations from their membership and employer
companies. This functions serves as a liaison between all levels of
organized labor and the disaster relief operation.
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Voluntary Agencies
Liaison (LVA): Develops and maintains liaison with other
voluntary organizations including national organizations, local
components of national organizations, community organizations, and
ad hoc groups involved in disaster response, for purpose of ensuring
mutual support and coordination of disaster relief services between
organizations, and for potential recruitment of the resources of
these organizations for the relief operation.
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Public Affairs (PA):
Provides information about services available to those affected by
disaster, provides information to the general public about disaster
relief, serves as liaison with all media, and provides general
public affairs support to the relief operation.
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If you are interested in becoming a trained
Disaster Volunteer,
please contact
Beverly Brown at (334) 260-3984. |
