liam.sweeny

One thing Sandy; in particular, Staten Island, taught me is that the very first relief and recovery on the ground occured through the work of the victims of disasters themselves. It is often difficult for government, or even VOADs to integrate the overall relief effort with what what these "neighbors helping neighbors" are doing. These spontaneous groups can be supported by, coordinated with, and allowed tech support, ...more »

In mega-shelters, where there may be thousands- or tens of thousands of evacuees, information, to them, is in their minds just as important as food and water. Lack of public information breeds chaos in large shelters. Public address systems that are usually found in most large stadiums, arenas, etc. are often difficult to hear clearly over the crowd. I propose that mega-shelters have the capacity to install a 1 Watt radio ...more »

An introduction to FEMA assistance is inefficient when a disaster has already occurred. Wildly inaccurate interpretations of FEMA assistance is caused by high stress levels and the information vacuum that accompanies disasters, One step FEMA can take is to coordinate with developers, real-estate agencies and new property- and business owners so that, in a more relaxed setting, they can be provided written documentation ...more »