Voluntary Agency Liaisons: Building Bridges to Recovery

BATON ROUGE, La. — When disaster strikes, federal, state, and local emergency response agencies immediately mobilize resources to aid survivors. But volunteer and non-profit organizations also pitch in to support affected communities in response to and recovery from a disaster.

Responsibility for coordinating volunteers and non-governmental agencies falls on the shoulders of the state. Louisiana is a member of Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD). This national association of voluntary and non-profit groups is dedicated to providing critical help to survivors and their communities in all phases of a disaster.  They play an important role in assisting families with unmet needs and, at times, helping repair or rebuild homes. The VALs coordinate information and resources with the Louisiana VOAD to work as effectively as possible.

Volunteers also act as a bridge to a community’s long-term recovery. In order to help with the unmet needs of survivors who have exhausted all resources, voluntary groups work to direct other resources their way; they stand well-positioned to provide local services.

Long Term Recovery Organizations
Voluntary agencies first address the immediate needs of survivors, providing emergency sheltering, feeding, and other forms of aid. When these immediate needs have been met and life-threatening conditions have been removed, long term recovery activities begin. This is accomplished through Long Term Recovery groups (LTRGs). Nineteen of these groups now operate in Louisiana after the 2016 floods. As locally-based organizations, their mission is to build community capacity by providing assistance to meet unmet needs. VALs are in continuous contact with LTRGs to ensure they are up to date about federal and state agencies’ resources and programs. 

How You Can Help, and Get Help
Survivors need to know that there are still other services and programs available to help their recovery. Visit these links for more information about how you can help, and get help:

By telephone, dial 2-1-1, a single access point for resources like food, clothing, shelter, financial assistance and health resources. Visit www.louisiana211.org or follow @211Louisiana on Twitter.

Also …

Louisiana Volunteer Relief Organizations
www.serve.gov
www.citizencorps.gov
www.helpindisaster.org
www.networkforgood.org

Original author: kwei.maduot-parek
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