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As a truly global organization, with National
Societies in 186 countries and more than 97 million volunteers locally,
the Red
Cross and Red Crescent Movement is very often the first
to respond to any disaster, from the small to the large-scale.
At any level of response, whether it is local, national or
international, the effective coordination of available human,
financial and in-kind resources is crucial both for the beneficiaries
and for the donors.
One of the primary roles of any Red Cross
or Red Crescent National Society, as auxiliary to the authorities,
is to provide first-line disaster response services. National
Societies have a role (often legally defined) assigned by
their governments in disaster response, which varies from
country to country. It may involve search and rescue operations,
evacuating the injured or people endangered by the disaster,
managing shelters, restoring family links, running ambulance
services or retrieving and evacuating dead bodies. In most
National Societies, volunteers are trained in first aid, so
that they can bring life-saving assistance to people injured
in a disaster. They are also trained to assess damage and
the emergency needs of the population, to identify those in
need of assistance and to organize relief distributions. They
may also provide health care and psychological support.
In about 80 percent of cases, National
Societies respond to a disaster at the local or national level,
without the need for regional or international support. However,
whatever the size and level, the National Societies’
response is governed by the same principles and policies.
Internationally, National Societies,
each within the limits of its resources give assistance for
victims of natural disasters and other emergencies. Such assistance,
in the form of services and personnel, of material, financial
and moral support is given through the National Society of
the country concerned by the disaster and the International
Federation.
At community level, groups of volunteers
are trained to work together in Community Disaster
Response Teams bringing assistance to people in their
communities affected by disasters.
National Disaster Response Teams
are made up of National Society staff and volunteers, often
from different branches or chapters, trained and working alongside
Red Cross Red Crescent
volunteers at community level to bring assistance to people
affected by disaster. They are made up of generalists and
specialists in health, logistics, relief or water and sanitation.
They can be mobilized at short notice and are trained to work
as a team and support the local Red Cross or Red Crescent
branch or chapter in its response to the disaster.
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Disaster management
