By Allison G. S. Knox
Contributor, EDM Digest
[link url=”http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30034501″ title=”The Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004″] was unbelievably devastating. After a [link url=”http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/tsunami-devastates-indian-ocean-coast” title=”9.3 magnitude earthquake”], hundreds of thousands of people were lost in a matter of minutes when a tsunami struck several countries. Since then, books have been written about the disaster and what could have been done to prevent such widespread tragedy.
In the aftermath of the tsunami, many non-profit organizations continue to come together to provide support and to prevent such widespread disasters from occurring again. One of the organizations that is working to have a positive effect on Sumatra after the terrible tsunami is [link url=”http://www.surfaid.org/approach” title=”SurfAid”]. The organization is providing numerous means of support that will help numerous communities to remain resilient after a disaster strikes. The work of non-profit organizations is essential for how it compliments the work of the government to help keep communities resilient.
The Importance of Non-Profit Organizations
There are a lot of arguments in the public administration literature arguing for the importance of non-profit organizations when it comes to emergency management. Certainly during the management of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the [link url=”http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.0033-3298.2006.00500.x/full” title=”coordination of multiple organizations”] was needed to effectively handle the situation. Of course, there are [link url=”http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0275074005280605″ title=”several factors”] that directly contribute to the overall effectiveness and coordination of organizations in the midst of a disaster. Non-profit organizations contribute to this mix providing support where government agencies may not be able to provide support. Further, non-profit agencies are simply part of the collaboration when managing a disaster.
SurfAid, Unicef and Tsunami Preparedness
[link url=”http://www.surfaid.org/approach” title=”SurfAid”] is an organization that works to “bring positive change to communities.” Their efforts include developing evacuation routes and conducting disaster drills. They also work with communities to develop disaster plans. They have [link url=”http://www.surfaid.org/emergency#response” title=”participated in the emergency management efforts”] of several tsunamis. The assistance SurfAid provides both in the preparedness and response phases of emergency management has a tremendous effect on the communities they serve. Unicef is another organization working to assist in preparedness and response efforts. [link url=”https://www.unicefusa.org/mission/emergencies/earthquakes/japan-2011″ title=”Unicef worked to help in numerous ways”] during the relief efforts following the 2011 tsunami in Japan. Some of these efforts included distributing non-emergency food items, and providing drinking water to tsunami victims. Organizations like SurfAid and Unicef are essential in helping to manage the ensuing crisis. Together, they help to provide relief efforts. Further, they add a dimension of [link url=”https://amuedge.com/churches-lend-a-helping-hand/” title=”community resiliency”] working to tighten the emergency management efforts when a crisis occurs.
Non-profit organizations are essential to the overall management of an emergency, but also to the development of a community’s resiliency. Without non-profit organizations, many essential programs for emergency management may not be as strong as they are with them.
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