When Disaster Strikes, North Texas Will Be Prepared....victims in a full MCTF activation, it is...
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When Disaster Strikes, North Texas Will Be Prepared. Mass Care Task Force Mass Care Preparedness Community Report
Transcript of When Disaster Strikes, North Texas Will Be Prepared....victims in a full MCTF activation, it is...
When Disaster Strikes, North Texas Will Be Prepared.
Mass Care Task ForceMass Care Preparedness Community Report
Background 1
A Snapshot 2
Overall Readiness 3-4
Providing Shelter 5-9
Providing Food 11-14
Gathering Volunteers 15-19
Maintaining Communication 21-24
Overall Leadership and Management 25-29
What You Can Do to Help 31-32
FACT: Mass Care Task
Force’s goal is to be
prepared to feed and
shelter up to 37,500
disaster victims for
a period of 10 days.
Today, MCTF’s
estimated overall mass
care service capability
is approximately 8,000
victims for a period of
10 days.
Table of Contents
Katrina. The name alone has become synonymous with social havoc and inefficiency in the wake of a catastrophic natural disaster.
The confusion and disarray following Hurricane Katrina were not unique to New Orleans, however. A similar scenario could have
unfolded here in North Texas at any time in the past following a tornado, flood, or other calamity. But not any more. Thanks to a one-
of-a-kind, proactive collaboration among four of America’s top relief organizations, North Texas is uniquely poised to respond to a
local or regional emergency with an efficient, coordinated, multi-faceted program of services and assistance.
The plan has been several years in the making. In 2006, the leadership of the American Red Cross – Dallas Area Chapter, The Salvation
Army DFW Metroplex Command, the North Texas Food Bank, and the Volunteer Center of North Texas came together to form a
special task force and envision how they might work more effectively as a group and with their respective volunteers to provide
shelter, food, and other humanitarian services to the victims of large-scale disasters. Fueled by a $5 million challenge grant from the
W.W. Caruth, Jr., Foundation at the Communities Foundation of Texas and a major sponsorship commitment from Southwest Airlines,
the result is a proven, replicable model for collaborative disaster response.
Today, the Task Force is pleased to provide the greater DFW community with the first annual State of Mass Care Preparedness Report.
The program was field-tested during responses to Hurricanes Gustav and Ike in 2008. In addition, the Task Force also assembled a
national panel of disaster response experts to provide direct feedback on the plan, and conducts regular formal tabletop disaster
simulation events. While there are still opportunities to improve this region’s overall readiness and fine-tune the details, what you’ll see
on the following pages is a monumental step toward optimal response and recovery.
This report is presented as a snapshot of the Mass Care Task Force’s collective preparedness. It includes information on what has been
accomplished, what remains to be done, and how—as a community member—you can help.
We look forward to continuing our collaborative work to plan, prepare, and be ready when the time comes.
Imagine a tornado super-cell moving across the vast expanse of Dallas, Tarrant, Collin, Ellis, and Denton counties. It’s not
inconceivable—an average of 168 tornadoes churn through North Texas each year1. And, depending on where one touches down,
as many as 37,500 people could require immediate food, shelter, and humanitarian assistance2.
The Mass Care Task Force (MCTF) was formed with the vision of effectively and efficiently providing mass care services, including
food, shelter, and other humanitarian aid, to the victims of large-scale disasters, such as tornadoes, storms, floods, and other natural or
man-made calamities. Providing these services, of course, also requires volunteers, supplies, and communications, as well as leadership
and management activities.
Before an effective plan could be developed, however, it was important to define exactly what constitutes an event requiring mass-
care response. To that end, the leadership of the four member organizations developed the following criteria. A disaster is defined as
“Requiring Task-Force Activation” when:
Twoormoremunicipalitiesinthefive-countyNorthTexasgeographicscopeofoperations areimpacted
Thetypeandscopeofneedisgreaterthanonememberorganizationcanaddresswhile simultaneouslymaintainingregularoperations
Localmediacoveragepositionsthemasscareeventasaleadstorytwoormoretimesina 24-hourperiodand/orthereisnationalmediacoverage
Once the potential need was defined, the measurement and benchmarking of existing capabilities had to occur. The following pages
compare requirements vs. current readiness in each of five key areas.
1 http://www.usatoday.com/weather/tornado/wtexascity.htm2 City of Dallas disaster scenario analysis and historical data
Background A Snapshot
1 2
26%
32%
13%
62%
25%
21%
Overall Readiness in North Texas: March 31 , 2010
The good news is that North Texas is more prepared than many parts of the country and has made significant progress since Katrina.
The bad news is, we still have a long way to go.
Our Preparedness Need has been defined as readiness to feed and shelter up to 37,500 disaster victims for a period of 10 days. Today,
however, North Texas is capable of assisting only about 8,000 victims for that period of time. Our readiness (26% of the overall goal) is
a cumulative score based on our ability to hit the ground running in the following critical Mass Care areas:
Details on these areas of focus can be found on the following pages.
Providing Shelter
Gathering Volunteers
Overall Leadership & Management
Providing Food
MaintainingCommunications
3 4
Overall Readiness Overall Readiness
32%
Shelter Type
Type 1 (200-499)
Type 2 (500-999)
Type 3 (1,000-4,999)
Type 4 (5,000-10,000)
374
62 6
1,934
7,343
24
10
4
2
32
13
5
3
34
9
3
2
2
-4
-2
-1
40 53 48 -5
Avg. Capacity per Shelter
Activated Shelters Required
Identified Shelters Required*
Current Identified Shelters Surplus/(Deficit)
Sheltering disaster victims is a cornerstone of the MCTF
response plan. Those activities will encompass four major
components:
• Identifying Shelter Locations & Capacity
• Shelter Deployment Logistics
• Shelter Staffing & Equipment
• Victim Supplies (cots, bedding, comfort kits, etc.)
Working closely with local and municipal emergency operations
centers, the American Red Cross will lead the program’s shelter
activation and operation, with the other member organizations
providing support in the form of in-shelter feeding, food
provisioning, and volunteer management.
Identifying Shelter Locations & Capacity
53 facilities needed in inventory. 48 identified. Capacity
needed: 37,500 victims. Current capacity: 25,457 victims.
Based on our readiness goal of serving as many as 37,500
victims in a full MCTF activation, it is estimated that up to
40 shelter facilities will be required. Because of the varying
capacity of existing shelters—and the fact that some may not
be available at the time of a disaster—it’s imperative to have a
minimum of 53 facilities in our inventory.
MCTF is currently not prepared to meet this goal. Only 48 of the
53 necessary facilities have been identified—and their aggregate
capacity is enough to shelter only about 25,457 victims. In
addition, logistics capabilities and victim supplies are not yet in
place to outfit and open all of these shelters.
*75% of identified shelters are
assumed to be available for
activation at the time of disaster.
Providing Shelter
5 6
Providing Shelter Providing Shelter
374
626
1,934
7,343
24
10
4
2
8,976
6,260
7,736
14,686
9,537
4,226
4,352
7,343
561
-2,035
-3,385
-7,343
40 37,658 25,457 -12,201
Type 1 (200-499)
Type 2 (500-999)
Type 3 (1,000-4,999)
Type 4 (5,000-10,000)
Target Victim Shelter Capacity
2009 Victim Shelter Capacity Surplus/(Deficit)Shelter Type Avg. Capacity
per ShelterActivated Shelters
Required
Shelter Type
Total Sheltered Victims
374
626
1,934
7,343
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
1
2
2
0
1
2 5
Avg. Capacity per Shelter
Hours 0-6
Hours 7-12
Hours 13-24
3
3
0
2
8
Day2
9
5
2
2
18
Day3
17
8
3
2
30
Day4
24
10
4
2
40
Days5-10
1
9,277 9,343 17,686 25,050 31,854 37,6587,343
Type 1 (200-499)
Type 2 (500-999)
Type 3 (1,000-4,999)
Type 4 (5,000-10,000)
National Standards Implementation: Currently, shelter facilities
are classified by size, but in North Texas, these classifications
are locally defined. The National Incident Management System
(NIMS) offers a standardized set of shelter classifications
that are understood by emergency management personnel
across the country. MCTF will implement the NIMS standard
classification system for local shelters to optimize our
coordination with national-level disaster responders during
a large-scale disaster.
Relationships with Local Governments: Strengthen
relationships with municipalities and synchronize our
understanding of shelter locations and capacities.
NEXT STEPS: Going forward, MCTF will focus on the following
areas to streamline shelter identification:
Shelter Deployment Logistics
Manpower needed: Activation of 40 shelters. Existing
manpower: Activation of 20 shelters. Deployment preparedness
is defined as our physical ability to get the total number
of shelters required up and running within the necessary
timeframes. The table below illustrates the estimated shelter
rollout schedule required for a full activation.
Once again, the American Red Cross will have primary
responsibility for shelter deployment. Its ability to open shelters on
schedule will hinge on the number of factors, including the number
of available trucks, drivers, and warehouse personnel to load and
unload materials.
Currently, it’s believed that Red Cross–owned vehicles plus
supplemental leased vehicles will be enough for the required
drayage. However, the current number of Red Cross staff,
volunteers, and hired drivers would be enough to deploy only
20 shelters within the necessary time period.
NEXT STEPS: Going forward, MCTF will focus on the following
areas to improve shelter readiness:
shelter victims at Fair Park will be pre-positioned as funding
becomes available.
Shelter Staffing & Equipment
Manpower needed: Staffing for 40 shelters. Existing
manpower: Staffing for 10 shelters. The ability of the Red
Cross to operate shelters hinges on the number of volunteers
available—especially volunteers who are pre-trained in shelter
management. Based on current volunteer levels, there are enough
qualified volunteers to only staff about 8,000 victims in 10 shelters.
NEXT STEPS: The MCTF will formalize the responsibilities,
activities, and integration of the American Red Cross, The
Salvation Army, and other national-response organizations
and their teams of volunteers.
Victim Supplies
Ready supplies needed: Enough for 37,500 victims. Existing
ready supplies: Enough for 1,700 victims. Two primary types of
supplies would be required by shelters in the wake of a disaster:
consumable supplies used to serve sheltered victims and bulk
goods (such as home clean-up kits, etc.) that would be provided
to non-sheltered victims, as well as to sheltered victims when
they leave the facility.
Shelter Activation Plans: During any large-scale disaster, many
(if not all) Type 3 and Type 4 shelter facilities will be deployed
because of their larger capacity. Facility-specific plans will be
developed to minimize the activation time frame. These plans
will specify the locations for command centers, victim-service
functions, and equipment, and will be used in training and
disaster simulation exercises going forward. Generic plans
will be developed for Type 1 and Type 2 shelters to expedite
their activation.
Fair Park POD Deployment: As funding becomes available, the
equipment, supplies, and warehouse space necessary for full
activation will be secured. The leadership team will phase these
resources in to achieve intermediate preparedness milestones,
with the long-term goal of meeting all requirements for full
activation. In addition, basic supplies for approximately 6,000
7 8
Providing Shelter Providing Shelter
40,000
35,000
30,000
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
Victims Supplies Available Cots Available0
1 0 D AY S
= 2500 people
Our Goal for Mass Care
The Red Cross currently has enough complete, locally stored
supplies for only about 1,700 victims during a full activation,
and cots for only 5,700 sheltered victims.
NEXT STEPS: While donations of supplies could be expected
at the time of a disaster, the Red Cross plans to proactively
request donations from the public of bulk-distributed
goods in order to amass an inventory capable of serving
approximately 1,000 families—still dramatically short of the
volume needed. Additional supplies will have to be secured
through other donation channels or purchased. As supplies
are acquired, additional warehouse space will also be needed.
MassCareTaskForce’sgoalistobepreparedtofeedand
shelterupto37,500disastervictimsfor10days.
9 10
FactProviding Shelter
25%
0
0%
0
0
7,343
25%
1,836
1
9,277
50%
4,639
1
9,343
70%
6,540
1
Time 0 Hour 6 Hour 12 Day 1Hour 24
17,686
80%
14,149
2.7
Day 2Hour 48
25,050
90%
22,545
2.8
Day 3Hour 72
31,854
100%
31,854
2.9
Day 4Hour 96
37,658
100%
37,658
3
Days 5-10Hours 97+
4,639 6,540 38,202 63,126 92,377 677,8441,8360
Shelter Capacity Online
Factor for Actual Utilization
Estimated Sheltered Victims
Avg. # of Meals per Person in Period
Estimated Meals
Providing Food
In-Shelter Feeding (First 24 Hours)
Required Readiness: Reserve stock of 20,000 frozen or
shelf-stable meals + readiness to prepare 5,000 cafeteria-
style meals. Existing readiness: Readiness to prepare 5,000
cafeteria-style meals. The MCTF plan calls for sheltered victims
to receive pre-prepared shelf-stable or heater meals during
the first 24 hours of activation, with supplemental hot meals
provided in specific instances.
Along with shelter, feeding is one of the core services addressed
by the Task Force. The needs include:
• In-Shelter Feeding (First 24 Hours)
• In-Shelter Feeding (Day Two & Beyond)
• In-Shelter Supplemental Feeding
• Congregate, Non-Shelter-Based Feeding
• Mobile Feeding
Feeding has been identified by the Task Force’s external expert
advisory panel as one of the most technically challenging aspects
of the plan—and North Texas currently is not prepared to meet
its full-activation feeding goal.
It’s more than a question of food stocks. Surrounding these
needs are requirements for equipment, warehousing, power
generation, and manpower for a full-scale activation.
Feeding Analysis: First 24 Hours
12
Providing FoodProviding Food
11
Once again, the American Red Cross has primary responsibility
for this area of focus, with North Texas Food Bank providing the
actual food supplies. The plan calls for North Texas Food Bank
to maintain a reserve stock of 20,000 pre-prepared shelf-stable
or heater meals, and to be prepared to provide an additional
5,000 frozen, cafeteria-style meals that can be prepared in frozen
format or heated at the Food Bank’s own Community Kitchen and
delivered hot to shelters.
North Texas Food Bank is currently prepared to provide the
cafeteria-style meals, but funding for the 20,000 pre-prepared
shelf-stable or heater meals has not been secured. Regarding
non-food requirements: funding has not yet been secured
for warehousing food and supplies, or for emergency power
generation equipment at the Food Bank’s existing facility to ensure
continuity in the event of a power outage.
In-Shelter Feeding (Day Two & Beyond)
Readiness in this area is high. After the first 24 hours of disaster
response, primary responsibility for feeding sheltered victims will
rest with The Salvation Army in partnership with food suppliers,
food preparation vendors, and other nonprofit organizations such
as Texas Baptist Men. While these relationships already exist and
have come together in previous circumstances, the
collaboration has never been tested in a full-scale activation.
In addition to in-shelter feeding, the MCTF plan calls for additional
feeding sites in or near the disaster site. These feeding sites will
be housed in local schools through contractual agreements with
local school district food services/cafeteria systems, and in The
Salvation Army facilities throughout North Texas, based on the
scope of the disaster.
Based on existing contractual agreements, food vendor
relationships, and the availability of The Salvation Army facilities,
the level of preparedness in this area of the plan is high.
Supplemental Feeding
Required readiness: 100% of bulk food required for days two
through five of a full activation. Existing readiness: None.
In addition to providing in-shelter and out-of-shelter feeding,
the Red Cross and The Salvation Army will operate “mobile
disaster kitchens” with snacks and hydration for victims,
volunteers, and response personnel.
As in Day Two & Beyond Feeding, the plan calls for North Texas
Food Bank to maintain a stock of 100 percent of the bulk food
required for days two through five of a full-scale activation.
Funding for the food items and required warehouse space has not
yet been secured.
Mobile Feeding
Readiness in this area is high. The Red Cross and The Salvation
Army may also elect to implement mobile feeding in specific
disaster areas. These operations will involve direct delivery of
individual pre-packaged meals to disaster victims, and will be
coordinated between the two organizations and their respective
national organizations.
The scope and scale of these operations will be determined
based on the requirements of the disaster. Based on this
approach, preparedness is considered high.
NEXT STEPS: Going forward, emphasis will be placed on
formalizing procedures and vendor relationships, optimizing
preparations for large shelters, and expanding national services
and supplies agreements to augment local feeding resources.
Specifically, MCTF will focus on the following areas to improve
feeding readiness:
reserve food stock necessary for full activation will be secured.
The leadership team will phase in these resources to achieve
intermediate preparedness milestones, with the long-term
goal of meeting all full-activation requirements.
Third Party Provider Identification & Contracting: The
Salvation Army and North Texas Food Bank will coordinate
contracting with third-party vendors for food supplies related
to in-shelter and out-of-shelter feeding.
Dedicated Planning & Implementation Staff: In 2010, The
Salvation Army will be adding a Disaster Services Manager to
its DFW staff who will work to formalize operating procedures
and vendor agreements.
Advanced Site Planning: To ensure that feeding operations
are implemented within their defined time frames, MCTF will
develop site-specific feeding plans for Type 3 and Type 4
shelters, and generic plans for Type 1 and Type 2 shelters.
National Response Integration: The MCTF will formalize
the responsibilities, activities, and integration of the
American Red Cross, The Salvation Army, and other
national-response organizations.
Food Stock & Warehouse Procurement: As funding becomes
available, the warehousing capacity, equipment, supplies, and
1413
Providing FoodProviding Food
13% Gathering Volunteers
Securing the number of volunteers required for a full activation is
one of the most complex and difficult aspects of the overall MCTF
response plan. This area comprises three primary components:
• Volunteer Requirements Definition & Utilization Planning
• Volunteer Identification, Recruitment,
& Training/Pre-Certification
• Volunteer Mobilization & Management
When work shifts and volunteer response rates are taken into
account, MCTF estimates that approximately 24,700 volunteers
will be required to field a full MCTF activation. Currently, only
3,960 have been identified.
Improvement in this area will focus not only on the total number
of volunteers identified but also on the technology systems and
communications processes required to mobilize this number of
mission-critical volunteers.
Volunteer Requirements Definition &
Utilization Planning
Identified volunteers needed: 24,700. Existing identified
volunteers: 3,960. Currently, the Task Force has defined the
various volunteer roles required to carry out a full-scale MCTF
activation. MCTF defines volunteers in three categories:
Agency-Affiliated Volunteers: Agency-affiliated volunteers
are those who have been recruited by a MCTF member
organization specifically for involvement in that organization’s
disaster response operations. Each member organization has
direct responsibility for maintaining ongoing relationships with
its volunteers, as well as for securing required background
checks, providing any necessary training, mobilization, and the
generation of required credentials. (In many cases, agency-affiliated
volunteers receive specialized, intensive training to ensure they are
prepared to perform specialized services or functions.)
15
Gathering Volunteers
16
Gathering Volunteers
Volunteer Type/Role RequiredBy
RC
RC
RC
RC
VCNT
VCNT
VCNT
NTFB
NTFB
NTFB
TSA
TSA
Varies
No
No
No
No
No
Yes
No
No
No
No
Yes
RC
VCNT
VCNT
VCNT
VCNT
VCNT
VCNT
VCNT
VCNT
VCNT
NTFB
TSA
N/A
2
2
2
N/A
3
3
N/A
2
2
N/A
3
N/A
8
8
8
N/A
4
4
N/A
3
3
N/A
3
8,750
0
0
0
0
90
769
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3,191
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
40
0
50
0
0
769
0
(5,559)
0
0
0
0
100
80
90
200
400
875
220
350
80
90
1,000
1,600
1,122
1,760
2,900
720
900
0
1,200
2,000
9,851
1,373
2,262
593
702
0 0
936
1,599
7,684
(1,373)
(2,262)
(593)
(702)
0
(936)
(1,599)
(7,684)90 0 3,96090 1,745 4,462 19,331 24,668 (20,707)
Background Check Required
Recruited By
Shifts per Day
Hours perShift
Hours0-6
Hours7-12
Hours13-24
Hours25-48
Days3-10
Total ShiftsRequired
Total Volunteers Required
NumberSecured
Current Surplus/(Deficit)
Agency-Affiliated Volunteers
RC Disaster Responders
VCNT Disaster Responders
NTFB Disaster Responders
TSA Disaster Responders
Spontaneous Volunteer Call Center Operator
Spontaneous Volunteer Greeter/Ambassador
Volunteer Reception Center Worker
Warehousing and Logistics Worker
Red Cross Phone Bank WorkerCockrell Hill - Weekend Food Warehouse Volunteer (in day 10 period/Friday start)
New Warehouse Location - Food Warehouse Volunteer (in day 10 period/Friday start)
In-Shelter Food Server (see “TSA Calculations” worksheet for assumptions)
Totals
Identified General Volunteer
Identified General Volunteers: Identified general volunteers
are those who are recruited by the Volunteer Center of North
Texas to participate in MCTF disaster-response activities.
The Volunteer Center of North Texas has direct responsibility
for maintaining ongoing relationships with its volunteers, as
well as for securing required background checks, providing
any necessary training, mobilization, and the generation
of required credentials. In most cases, identified general
volunteers do not require specialized training.
Spontaneous Volunteers: Spontaneous volunteers are
citizens of the community who step forward after a disaster
has occurred to lend assistance. Again, the Volunteer Center
of North Texas has responsibility for working with these
volunteers and matching them with volunteer needs that are
unmet by agency-affiliated and identified general volunteers.
With the exception of leadership and management, all aspects
of MCTF disaster response operations rely heavily on volunteer
involvement, with shelter and feeding operations accounting for
the majority of projected volunteers required.
After taking into account historical levels of volunteerism in North
Texas, the number of shifts per day required for each volunteer
position identified, and the 10-day time-frame of a full-scale
activation, MCTF estimates that approximately 24,700
volunteers are required for a full-scale operation.
Volunteer Requirements Analysis
Volunteer Identification, Recruitment,
& Training/Pre-Certification
Total volunteers needed: 24,700. Existing identified
volunteers: 3,960. Responsibilities for identifying, recruiting,
training, and pre-certifying volunteers vary by volunteer category
and role; however, the Red Cross and the Volunteer Center of
North Texas both have leadership roles in this area.
The Red Cross is focused predominantly on securing agency-
affiliated volunteers who will receive extensive training for direct
involvement in shelter operations. The Volunteer Center of
North Texas is focused on the recruitment of identified general
volunteers as defined above. In addition, the Volunteer Center is
the Task Force’s lead for conducting criminal background checks
as required using its VeriFYI program.
MCTF leadership believes spontaneous volunteers will always
play a key role in large-scale activations. Approximately 24,700
spontaneous volunteers would be needed in a full-scale
activation. Currently, approximately 3,960 volunteers have
been identified.
NEXT STEPS: Going forward, emphasis will be placed on
creating a formal volunteer management system, including:
MCTF System: During 2009, MCTF funded two Red Cross
volunteer recruitment and management positions, as well as
the implementation of a state-of-the-art volunteer management
system. Additional volunteer recruitment and management
resources called for by the MCTF plan will be implemented as
funding becomes available.
Volunteer Center of North Texas: Based on the
experience gained in response to Hurricanes Gustav and
Ike, the Volunteer Center has identified a need to upgrade
its volunteer management systems to handle the volume
and complexity of a full-scale MCTF activation. Functional
requirements for these systems will be developed in 2010,
with system selection and implementation to follow.
Volunteer Mobilization & Credentialing
Procedures and technologies for volunteer mobilization
and credentialing are underway but incomplete. Refinement
of the required procedures and technologies for volunteer
mobilization and credentialing is underway but incomplete.
A cross-functional team from the four MCTF member
organizations is charged with completing these definitions in
early 2010.
1817
Gathering Volunteers Gathering Volunteers
Securing the number of volunteers required for a full activation
is one of the most complex and difficult aspects of the overall
MCTF response plan.
NEXT STEPS: Going forward, MCTF will focus on the following
areas to improve the readiness of volunteer resources:
Volunteer Job Descriptions & Requirements
Forms Development: The Volunteer Center of North Texas
will collect the types and numbers of jobs required from MCTF
members, and populate its Volunteer Management System
with those data.
Volunteer Identification, Recruitment, Training,
& Pre-Certification: MCTF leadership will increase the
pace of volunteer recruitment in order to achieve higher
levels of preparedness.
Volunteer Mobilization, Scheduling, & Management:
The Volunteer Center of North Texas will determine the
necessary process and requirements for Mass Care
scheduling and credentialing, and deploy a robust
volunteer management system.
2019
FactGathering Volunteers
21% Maintaining Communication
Communications prior to and during a disaster are critically
important. The MCTF communications team—made up
of communications professionals from each agency—has
developed, and is ready to launch at any time, comprehensive
internal and external communications, including Internet-based
communication, telephone messaging, and signage. This team
will lead public disaster-response communications for both
volunteers and victims at the direction of MCTF leadership.
This area of focus includes:
• Internal Education & Training
• External Partner Coordination
• Public Awareness & Outreach
• Advocacy
• MCTF Field Operations: Communications Technology
Communication capabilities among the four member
organizations and the media are strong. The greatest need for
improvement is the sharing of information and instructions
with other key organizations, such as 211, and fire and police
departments so that all agencies are distributing uniform
instructions to the public.
Internal Education & Training
Readiness in this area is high. The MCTF team has developed
strategies designed to communicate not only during a disaster,
but also in non-disaster and pre-disaster time periods. Topics
include information for volunteers, victims, providers, families,
and donors.
During 2009, the Volunteer Center of North Texas designed and
implemented a 30-seat mobile call center that could be used
to receive calls from the public and volunteers during MCTF
activation. Volunteers will staff this system, which is stored
in containers and can be set up and activated on-demand at
the Volunteer Center headquarters. If the Volunteer Center
Maintaining Communication
21
Maintaining Communication
22
headquarters are disabled during a disaster, the system can be
moved quickly to another location.
Disaster response following Hurricanes Gustav and Ike resulted
in successful public communications via “tickertapes” across
the bottom of television screens with information for victims
and volunteers. Standards are in place for updating new staff
members on a regular basis.
External Partner Coordination
Readiness in this area is mid-range.
The MCTF communications team will ensure ongoing
dissemination of information and instructions to the public
via print, television, and radio, online media, and social media
(dfwdisasterinfo.blogspot.com) in coordination with a pre-
trained group of social media volunteers. Communication
content will focus on:
• How victims can receive help
• How volunteers can assist
• How to make financial contributions
The team will leverage existing relationships with local and
national media, and work closely with city representatives
to determine which CEO/member organization(s) should
participate in daily or weekly press briefings managed by
the city.
Advocacy
Readiness in this area is low to mid-range. Citizens and
community leaders must choose to make preparedness a high
priority both at the individual level and the highest levels of
state and federal government. Task Force members are working
together to develop an advocacy plan that will serve to raise
awareness about the issue publicly and with elected officials.
Public Awareness & Outreach
Readiness in this area is high. Instructions for the distribution
of information to the media (including the list of media
channels and contacts) are in place. Partnerships are being
implemented to ensure streamlined implementation of joint
press conferences, media alerts, and public relations initiatives.
The MCTF blog (dfwdisasterinfo.blogspot.com) is up and
running, and social networking volunteers have been recruited
and trained.
NEXT STEPS: Going forward, MCTF will focus on the following
areas to improve disaster-relief communication:
Internal Education & Training: Explanation of the MCTF-
coordinated response plan to board members and staff will
take place in Spring 2010.
External Partner Coordination: External communication of
disaster-specific response activities to partner agencies will
be implemented in Spring 2010.
MCTF Field Operations: Communications Technology:
Field-communication technologies and procedures will be
reviewed and synchronized as part of the Task Force’s initial
2010 projects.
Public Awareness & Outreach: Development of
partnerships with government agencies (such as Texas Dept.
of Transportation) and private corporations who own mass
communications tools (such as highway billboards) are still to
be finalized. The MCTF team has
developed strategies
designed to communicate
not only during a disaster,
but also in non-disaster and
pre-disaster time periods.
Maintaining Communication
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Maintaining Communication
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62% Overall Leadership & Management
As a collaborative effort among four independent nonprofit
organizations, successful leadership and management is
a critical component, requiring the creation of processes,
procedures, and management tools. Leadership and
Management of MCTF activities are organized into the
following areas:
• Personnel Identification & Resource Acquisition
• Collaborative Response Plan
• Continuity of Operations Plans
• National Organization Integration
The MCTF leadership team has been working together for three
and a half years to define and create the MCTF vision. The spirit
of collaboration is strong, and our preparedness is high.
Key improvement opportunities include strengthening
succession planning for the leadership team, better integration
of resources from the member organizations’ respective national
leadership, and securing additional local or regional financial
resources necessary to fully implement the plan.
Leadership & Resource Acquisition
Readiness in this area is high. In addition to the MCTF
leadership team, a Project Management Office has been
established, along with formal policies and procedures to
guide MCTF decision-making and operating activities.
The Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer of
each member organization comprise the leadership team,
which meets monthly when MCTF is not activated. This team is
charged with setting policy for the Task Force, guiding overall
MCTF development, and securing the resources necessary to
achieve full plan implementation.
Overall Leadership and Management
25
Overall Leadership and Management
26
substantially increase the Task Force’s overall state of preparedness.
Continuity of Operations Plans
Readiness in this area is mid-range. To achieve the
highest level of disaster response performance, each MCTF
member organization aims to have a current continuity of
operations plan that applies solely to its own internal
disaster preparedness.
Currently an organization dedicated to disaster recovery in
corporations, is in discussions with the members to determine
an efficient approach for developing and maintaining a
consistent plan type that could be adopted by all four
organizations to ensure confidence that each member has
its own disaster readiness plan.
NEXT STEPS: Going forward, MCTF will focus on the following
areas to improve readiness:
Resource Acquisition: The leadership team will remain
focused on securing the resources necessary to fund full-plan
implementation, with a goal of raising at least $3 million in
2010 and meeting or exceeding the 2010 Caruth Foundation
challenge matching opportunity.
While, with each change in leadership, significant orientation
and relationship-development activities are required, the four
membership transitions that have occurred so far have been
handled smoothly and successfully according to MCTF policy.
Joint fundraising has been one of the remarkable outcomes
of the project; however, the implementation of fundraising has
been impacted recently by several factors:
The factors outlined at left have highlighted the critical need
for a volunteer champion who can step forward to lead the
fundraising efforts. The Task Force is actively seeking assistance
in this area.
Collaborative Response Plan
Readiness in this area is high. The spirit of collaboration among
the four member organizations helped drive the creation of the
Task Force, and that spirit remains strong.
The leadership team and personnel from each member
organization have worked continuously on advancing MCTF
procedures and resources during the Task Force’s three years
of existence. In 2009, a formal plan for preparedness was
created, and a panel of national disaster response experts was
assembled to provide direct input. This effort has produced
multiple improvements to MCTF procedures and has identified
high-priority areas for additional evaluation and definition.
For example, MCTF has activated mass-care operations to date
in the aftermath of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike along the Texas
Gulf Coast. Our expert panel has advised MCTF on the key
operational differences between these types of regional events
(where local infrastructure was undamaged) and large-scale local
disasters, and has recommended changes to the MCTF plan.
In addition to overall recommendations, our outside experts
design and facilitate “tabletop” disaster simulation exercises
that are conducted by the Task Force at least once a year.
Results from these simulations are captured—just as they are
for live activations—and the MCTF plan is updated to integrate
improvement opportunities.
National Organization Integration
Readiness in this area is mid-range. Our expert panel has
also provided extensive input regarding the formal integration
of national response plans and resources into the local MCTF
response plan. Their key recommendations include the timing
of involvement from these organizations; the magnitude of
personnel, equipment, and supplies made available by their
involvement; and how their operational leadership will integrate
with MCTF leadership.
The Task Force will work on full implementation of these
recommendations in 2010, with input from the regional and
national organizations of The Salvation Army, the American Red
Cross, and Feeding America. We anticipate that the results will
• Although our mission is perceived by the public as positive,
the lack of major disasters in 2009 resulted in a low sense of
urgency and response
• The economic recession of 2009 caused major foundations
to cut back in their giving
• Overall giving in 2009 tended to focus on organizations
that meet ongoing needs, such as housing, hunger, and
medical services
• Individual CEOs were not as accessible for joint fundraising
activities in 2009 due to their need to attend to their own
budgets and business sustainability
Overall Leadership and Management Overall Leadership and Management
27 28
Leadership Continuity: The Task Force will formalize
processes for keeping the Boards of Directors/Advisory
Boards and staffs of each member organization continually
informed to ensure that the MCTF plan is fully understood
and properly implemented, even as personnel changes occur
over time.
Continuity of Operations Plans: Each of the member
organizations will complete an internal disaster response
plan (continuity of operations plan) with the assistance of
an independent consultant.
National Organization Integration: MCTF will continue
to refine the process of integrating national organizations’
disaster-site-command structures into the MCTF leadership
team during large-scale response.
TheMCTFleadershipteamhasbeenworkingtogetherforthree
andahalfyearstodefineandcreatetheMCTFvision.
Overall Leadership and Management Fact
29 30
As a community leader, you play a key role in galvanizing the citizens of your area, and spurring the involvement of
individuals and organizations to assist in the region’s disaster preparedness. The value we place on your influence and involvement
cannot be measured.
It is our hope that you will work with MCTF in an active and direct way to help us achieve our goals for the good of all the citizens
of North Texas. To that end, we invite you to:
• Contact us at 214-794-4942 for more information about how you can become involved and fuel the
participation of your company, neighborhood, or organization.
• Become a pre-identified disaster volunteer, and recruit others within your company, neighborhood, or organization.
• Allow us to coach you on the development of a personal or corporate disaster response plan to maximize the safety of those
within your personal or professional circles.
• Make a personal or corporate financial contribution to preparedness now, so that the cost at the time of disaster is lower.
Working together, we can not only minimize the effects of a natural or man-made disaster on the citizens of our communities,
we can also make North Texas the nation’s standard of excellence for disaster preparedness.
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What You Can Do To Help What You Can Do To Help
