The more an organization can prepare for a disaster, the better able it is to respond and the sooner it is able to go back to a form of normalcy. Even with all of the preparation that goes in to a disaster, going back to normal might not mean everything goes back to the way it was before the disaster.

Each organization needs to have recovery programs in place so that it can get back its essential business operations quickly enough to stay running. This means that along with a disaster plan, there also needs to be a recovery plan. Typically the recovery plan outlines the essential steps to get the organization back up and running in an appropriate amount of time—each organization’s time frame will be different. The recovery plan should indicate the line of succession, as well as specific steps to get the organization back up and running (i.e. Step 1—Restore power, etc.).

Another important piece of resilience and the recovery plan is the piece that takes in to account the human side of the disaster. Is there a part of your organization’s plan that deals with the emotional and mental psyche of your employees? Is there an assistance plan in place to help members cope when there’s a death at the organization? If there are answers to those questions and plans in place to cope with the stress and consequences of the disaster, the organization’s resilience is affected positively—the organization is more resilient.

An organization should have a line of succession plan before a disaster happens. The volunteers should train for such a case so that the functions of an organization don’t grind to a halt. Having a clear-cut plan in place will mean your team won’t have to stop and think during a disaster if you’ve made difficult decisions ahead of time. Disasters also disrupt a town’s emergency plan. The better the town’s emergency plan, the more they can be involved in an organizations ability to be resilient.

Resilience is more than what happens during and after a disaster. It can also be measured by the organization’s ability to keep volunteers. It may sometimes be difficult to maintain the interest of volunteers when disasters are not happening every week. The “hurry up and wait” atmosphere may weigh on the volunteers. But volunteers are vital to an organization’s resilience. It is very important for the volunteer leadership to maintain a high level of interest and involvement in the programs and training of the organization. Maintaining volunteers is important, and so is being able to train them. Organizations must continually train their volunteers. Experience is the key when it comes to dealing with disasters. It increases the organization’s ability to get back to normal.

Field organizations have established lines of succession in place, just as larger organizations do. Section-specific recovery plans often rely on adjacent sections to step in and help should the need arise. In instances where other sections may be needed to help, sections set up a cross-section agreements spelling out what resources to use depending on the need in the different location.

Local groups don’t usually have plans for a line of succession or have recovery plans in place. They too may reach out for assistance from a close group or section. It would then be up to the group or section to support whatever efforts were under way. It is important for all of these groups, large organizations and the more local ARES groups, to keep in mind that their role is to adapt to the need of the client or to the needs of the mission.