What does collaboration strong enough to withstand disaster look like?
“What is something you wish you could have more of?” Recently, I was in Florida, taking part in a conversation aimed at improving disaster response between local, state, and federal emergency management officials when someone asked this question.
What I heard was surprising. I expected to hear a request for grant dollars or better mitigation flexibility. I thought local officials would talk about delays in getting federal reimbursements. I imagined the response would turn towards the impact of climate change on vulnerable areas within Florida. Instead here’s what I actually heard.
“Communication.” “Communication.” “Communication.”
Three different individuals — a county emergency manager, a state-employed private sector coordinator, and state-employed agriculture and economic development expert — all wanted the same thing, improved communication. And the discussion on better communication didn’t stop with just these three.
The forum could not have been better. Our meeting was the definition of strategic collaboration and open communication. It was a public meeting of a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine committee, tasked with conducting a study to better understand the strengths and vulnerabilities of supply chain networks in the four primary areas affected by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria in 2017. While final conclusions won’t be created for several months, I suspect that collaboration and communication will be a part of what gets put forward.
(The brain trust in the room and on the phone included current and former FEMA and state employees, experts from grocery store chains and hospital systems, and academics who were looking at things with fresh eyes. All in all, there were many decades of emergency management experience sitting around the table, focusing on how to better provide fuel, food, and water for future disasters.)
Collaboration, Teamwork, and Communication
In my view, collaboration, teamwork, and communication are like athletic skills; they need to be practiced, coached, and regularly exercised to be at top performance. In a world where grant dollars indicate priorities, it’s reassuring that Planning, Operational Coordination, and Operational Communications are the three categories receiving the most in preparedness grants from FEMA — more than $700M in FY2017. (View our country’s National Preparedness Report to learn more about the overall direction of disaster response in the US.)
It’s reassuring that Planning, Operational Coordination, and Operational Communications are the three categories receiving the most in preparedness grants from FEMA.
If dollars speak, then it’s clear we are not ignoring the challenges of communication and coordination. But that doesn’t mean that the current approach will lead to much needed transformational change. Some of the foundations of disaster collaboration — initiatives and products like NIMS (National Incident Management System) and WebEOC — are no longer novel:
- NIMS grew from a 1970 California system called FIRESCOPE (FIre REsources of Southern California Organized for Potential Emergency), and
- WebEOC was founded 21 years ago by ESI (now Juvare).
NIMS developed a shared set of language, customs, and practices for disaster response in America. And WebEOC was a transformational technology bringing together decision makers, situational awareness, and communication. They represent two examples of tried and true methods that move the needle forward. But they don’t answer the question, “What is next in communication and collaboration?”
Making a Change
My personal belief is that the next transformational change in disaster collaboration will happen outside of government….
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Michael Windle is a researcher at MIT’s Humanitarian Supply Chain Lab, part of the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics. Michael Windle, Justin Boutilier, and Jarrod Goentzel are supporting a National Academies study to better understand the strengths and vulnerabilities of supply chain networks in the four primary areas affected by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria in 2017. If you’re interested in learning more about our research, visit humanitarian.mit.edu.
