Roles and experiences of non-governmental organisations in wildfire response and recovery

Abstract

Local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) play critical roles in providing immediate relief resources and long-term recovery support for communities after a disaster. Drawing on interviews with NGO representatives involved in three Northern California wildfires in 2017 and 2018, this study identifies challenges and opportunities for NGOs supporting wildfire relief and recovery. Across fires and NGOs, NGO management and wellbeing, coordination and disaster experiences emerge as common barriers and enablers of relief and recovery. In many cases, local NGOs' participation in wildfire relief and recovery included simultaneous expansion of an organisation's mission and activities and negative impacts on staff mental health. Under the rapidly evolving circumstances of relief and the prolonged burdens of recovery, personal relationships across NGOs and government agencies significantly improved coordination of assistance to communities. Finally, interviewees expressed greater confidence when responding to wildfires if they had previous experience with a disaster, although the COVID-19 pandemic presented distinct challenges on top of pre-existing long-term recovery work. Despite repeated assertions that interviewees' experiences reflected only their individual community or wildfire, key challenges and opportunities were consistent across disasters. These results may aid other NGOs in preparing to provide immediate disaster relief and long-term recovery in California and other wildfire-prone areas.

Identifying challenges to critical incident decision-making through a macro-, meso-, and micro- lens: A systematic synthesis and holistic narrative analysis

“…For instance, response commanders are often required to resolve incidents quickly, rather than effectively, to free up resources (Power and Alison, 2017 ). Moreover, commanders are more likely to triage their decision based on responder wellbeing and capability (e.g., Power and Alison, 2017 ), as burnout prevalence within the emergency services has become more prevalent with exposure to long-term response efforts (e.g., long-term exposure to response efforts in wildfires; Miller and Mach, 2021 ). It seems apparent then, that decision-making under these pressures potentially derails operational priorities, as organizational priorities shift toward self-preservation and therapeutic jurisprudence (e.g., Rutkow et al, 2011 ; Smith and Milne, 2018 ).…”

Building water resilience in the face of cascading wildfire risks

“…Wildfire impacts to water systems intersect with multiple types of governing agencies, including those with land-use, fire, and water related authorities that span from local to national scales. In addition, community-based organizations and nongovernmental organizations can be very active in this space ( 82 , 83 ). Risk reduction strategies, such as prescribed burns, face multiple barriers to implementation from a sociopolitical perspective, including availability of financial and technical resources and stringent regulations for the practice ( 84 ).…”

A comparative case study of multistakeholder responses following oil spills in Pointe d’Esny, Mauritius, and Huntington Beach, California

“…The overlapping priorities and responses of the three stakeholder groups in Mauritius further illustrate the importance of incorporating civil society into disaster response plans (Walker et al 2015, Swanepoel 2020. Civil society groups emerge as powerful leaders during disasters, organizing both response efforts and retaining a significant role in long-term community recovery (Miller and Mach 2022). Local private sector stakeholders should also be included in the formulation of contingency plans, as is the case in countries like South Africa (Swanepoel 2020).…”