What is the District response in a disaster and how does it work? Read below for the details

The mission of District 6860 Disaster Relief is to provide funds, supplies and recovery operations to alleviate human suffering caused by disasters that may impact people locally, primarily, but also regionally or worldwide.

The purpose of the District Relief Plan is to provide general guidance for relief activities and an overview of our methods of preparedness, response and recovery as is applicable to District 6860. The plan describes our disaster relief operation and assigns responsibilities for various tasks. This plan is intended to provide a framework for who does what, when and how. District 6860 wishes to be an integral part of disaster relief within our District and whenever possible assist in disaster relief for events that occur outside the boundaries of our District.

To achieve our objectives we have developed the District Disaster Relief Plan that integrates the efforts of all clubs within the District and serves as a regional resource for relief efforts. This plan is based on an all-hazard approach to disaster relief. It addresses general functions that may need to be performed during any disaster and is not a collection of plans for specific types of incidents.

The District Disaster Relief Committee (DRC) will initiate disaster relief operations in response to a disaster, catastrophic incident , or incident of national significance that has impacted District 6860 or outside the boundaries of the District.

Members of the District DRC will determine what types of aid will be initiated for the identified disaster.

The committee shall be composed of six members appointed by the District Governor. It is recommended that members shall serve rotating three-year terms such that the terms of one-third of the members expire each year. The District Governor and District Treasurer shall serve as ex officio members of this committee while they hold these district offices. The District Treasurer shall establish a restricted disaster relief fund for deposit of monies collected.

The District Governor shall appoint Rotarians to the committee to fill positions becoming vacant upon his/her accession to office or to fill any other vacancy occurring or existing during his/her term of office. From among all of the members of the committee, the District Governor shall appoint a chairperson of the committee to serve a one-year term coinciding with the term of the District Governor making the appointment. Further recommendations as to committee structure may be found in the District Policy Manual.

Activation of the DRC may be performed by the District Governor, committee chairman, or a member of the DRC. One or more of the following events may trigger activation of the District DRC.

2.A disaster impacting an area outside the boundaries of the District with the possibility of mobilizing the District’s disaster relief operations.

3.A request for disaster relief assistance from another Rotary District or Club, or from Rotary International.

4.An event which presents a potential threat of significant damage and /or loss of life.

1. The committee shall meet at least twice each year and shall be responsible for planning and coordinating the district’s response to disasters in District 6860 and elsewhere.

2. Developing a comprehensive disaster preparedness plan and revising as needed in order to be responsive to future disasters.

3. Considering disaster relief assistance in the form of funds, supplies, equipment, volunteers or any other resource available to the District. The DRC may choose to provide relief assistance for a specific disaster in the form of a one-time monetary donation or it may choose to withhold disaster relief for any disaster.

4. Oversight, along with the District Treasurer, of all funds to be used for disaster relief.

5. Writing grants so as to ensure that district funds are applied for within a specified time. Rotary grant applications must be completed within five days of a disaster.

6. Solicitations to individual clubs within the district for specific materials, monies or services needed to assist with the District’s disaster relief efforts.

7. The District DRC will designate specific individuals within the committee who can be contacted by the local clubs in the event of a disaster. These names, addresses, and telephone numbers will be provided to all clubs in the district. Likewise each club with a DRC committee should provide appropriate contact information to the District DRC.

·The primary strategy of District 6860 for disaster relief is to forward all assistance to the receiving District or Club for proper disbursement of supplies or funds and implementation of relief projects.

·The receiving District or Club should inform the District Governor or District DRC of its assessment of the impact of the disaster on the community and what kind of assistance and support is most urgently required.

·One of the most important aspects of coordination between District 6860 and the receiving District or Club is to establish and maintain good communications despite disrupting circumstances.

·The District DRC must designate specific individuals within the committee who can be contacted by the local clubs in the event of a disaster. These names and contact information will be provided to all clubs in the district.

·As the DRC determines what assistance is available for the disaster area, contact should be made with the receiving District or club to inform them what type of assistance to expect.

·Clubs of significant size should be encouraged to form its own DRC committee, prepare a local disaster plan, and coordinate with the district committee to enhance the districts response to disasters.

·The club DRC should develop a relationship with other local service groups, clubs, religious organizations, government disaster relief agents, etc in order to be responsive to the needs of disaster victims and avoid duplication of efforts.

·The club DRC should inform the district Governor and the district DRC of its assessment of the impact of the disaster on the community and what kind of assistance and support is most urgently required, i.e. drinking water, ice, food, medical supplies, clothing, temporary housing, etc.

·The names and all contact information of all local committee members should be provided to the District Governor and the District DRC promptly after appointment.

A.The District is responsible for establishing the administrative controls necessary to manage the expenditure of funds and to provide reasonable accountability and justification for expenditures made to support disaster relief operations. This shall be done in accordance with established fiscal policies and standard cost accounting procedures.

B.The DRC shall maintain accurate logs recording key response activities including;

·The District Treasure will be responsible for setting up the proper account to handle disaster funds collected for a particular disaster. Funds donated by individual clubs will be sent directly to the District Treasurer and not to the District DRC.

·Contributions to the district for emergency relief should be maintained in a single deposit account for each disaster. The account should be interest bearing and placed in an account with a financial institution with more than one location in the district.

·The treasurer will maintain such records that will track contributions by club received in his/her office and will be responsible for disbursement of disaster funds at the direction of the DRC or the District Governor.

·The district DRC is recommending that the district budget contain a line item allocation annually a sum of money that can be used immediately at aid relief response. It takes time to request support from clubs and a sum in the district budget would provide money upon request for supplies and material to respond to critical needs.

·An exception to this procedure might occur when the disaster is international in nature and the RI Foundation establishes a Donor Advised Fund or separate area fund within the Foundation. In this instance, funds contributed by individuals and/or clubs might be sent through the District Foundation Chairman so that records would be kept as to the total contributed from the District.

A.For disaster relief funds needed and requested by the club within the district only two forms are needed for the proper flow of information between clubs and the committee.

This form would be used by the club to request funds for a particular relief project. Forms are available upon request from the DRC or can be made available for inclusion in individual club disaster plans. (Form attached).

This form would be used when the club receives funds from the District Treasurer. The form would accompany any check made to the club and would be returned by the club in the form of an expense report. Any excess funds would be returned to the District with this form.

The DRC is responsible for organizing and conducting a critique following the conclusion of a disaster relief operation or exercise. An After Action Report will entail both written and verbal input from all appropriate participants. An improvement Plan will be developed based on deficiencies identified.

Disaster Relief – Project Request and Acceptance Form

Club Name: ______________________________________________ Date: _______________________

Contact: ______________________________________________ (Home phone)___________________

Address:_____________________________________________ (Cell phone)____________________

City, State, Zip: ________________________________________ (Fax)__________________________

E-mail address:________________________________________

Project Title:___________________________________________________________________________

Number of individuals served:___________________ Amount of funds requested: $________________

Date Funds Needed: _____/_______/_______ Disbursement Description:____________________

Remainder of form to be completed by District 6860 Disaster Relief Committee

Amount Approved: $_______________ Date: ________________By:_____________________________

Project #____________________Fund Source:_______________________________________________

Club Name:__________________________________________Date:_______/_______/__________

Project #______________Amount Approved $________________Fund Source__________________

Description should include payee, beneficiary and a brief description of unmet needs. Include reference for agency or Club member referring the beneficiary.

Address____________________________, City_______________________ State________Zip________

Daytime Telephone (____)_________________Evening Telephone (_______)___________________

Complete form, sign and return to the District 6860 Disaster Relief Committee at;

Date	Description	Deposit	Check #	Amount	Balance