Whenever a disaster strikes, thousands of people in countries all over the world start contacting various organizations and posting to online groups in an effort to try to volunteer onsite at the disaster site.
But what most of these people don’t realize is that spontaneous volunteers without the specific, high-level training and expertise that’s actually needed in the area, no affiliation with a credible agency and no local language skills can actually cause more problems than they alleviate in a disaster situation. The priority in these situations is helping the people affected by the disaster, NOT diverting resources to house, transport and otherwise take care of outsiders. In many of these situations, there is NO food, shelter or services to spare for outside volunteers. Volunteers coming into post-disaster areas have to be absolutely self-sustaining for days, even weeks, bringing in all of their own food and shelter. No shelter or safety measures can be provided to volunteers by the government or local people in many of these situations.
Japan and Haiti are incredibly complicated situations that require people with a very high degree of qualifications and long-term commitment, not just good will, a sense of urgency and short-term availability. These volunteers need to be extensively vetted, to ensure not only that they have the proper training and emotional stability to handle a post-crisis, low infrastructure situation, but also, to ensure they aren’t there to take advantage of unattended houses and shops, or even to exploit disaster victims.
Also, more and more agencies are hiring local people themselves, even immediately after a disaster, to clean rubble, remove dead bodies, build temporary housing, rebuild homes and essential buildings, and prepare and distribute food. Hiring and coordinating local people to do these activities themselves, rather than bringing people in from the outside, helps stabilize local people’s lives much more quickly!
People outside of disaster zones also start gathering supplies from family, neighbors and co-workers, envisioning themselves packing up the boxes of supplies and some organization somewhere paying to ship those boxes to post-disaster zones. But it is so much cheaper and more efficient for response agencies to buy and ship these items from areas that are MUCH closer to an affected area that most (all?) refuse these items. Plus, it’s better for relief agencies to buy clothing, shoes, medicine, toiletries, etc. new, or to accept donations in bulk directly from manufacturers and retailers, rather than going through donations made by countless numbers of individuals, which are filled with inappropriate items.
What to do with all these people calling your agency or posting to online groups saying, “I took a First Aid class a few years ago – how can I go to Japan and help?!?” Explain to them why they won’t be going, and strongly encourage them to get training now for possible disasters in their own geographic area instead. I direct people to the Red Cross, telling them that it will take at least a year to go through all of the training provided, and if they aren’t ready to make that training commitment, they aren’t ready to be a volunteer in disaster zones. Volunteering with an organization that helps people locally in other kinds of crisis situations — a domestic violence shelter, a suicide hotline, a crisis center, etc. is also excellent training that is valued by those mobilizing post-disaster volunteers.
Here is what aid agencies are doing in Japan. I also direct people to these agencies to donate financially.
Also see this article on DIY volunteers in Haiti.
The numbers for my page Volunteering To Help After Major Disasters are through the roof. Because this is one of the pages I have monatized, I’ll be donating all of the ad revenue generated for March by this page to the American Red Cross.
Also see this essay: Why Waiting to Give to Japan is a Good Idea.
Being aware of the date you posted this, I concur with all of your sentiments. However. At this point in time, a follow-up post might be in order. The Nihonjin located in Ishinomaki and the surrounding devastated areas are now having to deal with the chaos and destruction with the aid of a much too small group of individuals. After hearing from relatives in Niigata, an area not too far from the destruction, many people that weren’t so heavily affected by the tsunami are actually wallowing in denial and refusing to help or send supplies. The citizens of Ishinomaki, now that the initial explosion of aid and broadcasts around the world has curtailed significantly, are deeply worried that everyone has forgotten that they need help and the few volunteers that manage to make a difference there have to constantly reassure the people that there are many people the world over that are still doing their best to help them.
No question that there are still dire circumstances in Japan, and there is still tremendous need. The stories coming out are heart-breaking – including yours. However, I have seen only one call for volunteers to come to Japan – from the Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support (JEARS). And even then, volunteers must speak at least some Japanese, must be entirely self-supporting (pay for all of their own transportation, housing, food, etc.) and, of course, get permission from both JEARS and the Japanese government before going to the area. (http://jears.org). If you know of an organization that is also asking for foreign volunteers, please let me know ASAP, and I’ll post the name here. Otherwise, I’m going to continue to strongly caution non-Japanese people against trying to volunteer in Japan, because trying to volunteer in another country following a disaster without a formal invitation is, IMO, never a good idea.
I understand your position on the topic. My relation to the Nihonjin isn’t actually by blood, but I’ve been studying for several months and my fluency has reached an elementary level. That being said, there are several groups of individuals there that speak little to no Nihongo, but instead rely on the other volunteers there to translate. The trip was self-paid and wasn’t cheap, but I hadn’t meant to imply that it wasn’t an independent venture. I’m also unfamiliar with any organizations that would sponsor volunteers to make it out there, but if there are any adventurous souls with brave hearts and, yes, a decent amount of money saved for an occasion such as this, now would be the time for them to take the bull by the horns. The area isn’t dangerous, probably less so than many areas in America, but it is desolate and it was required of us that we bring our own food and water, but the impact we made seen through the faces of the people still attempting to live there is unforgettable and you will never regret sacrificing your savings to help them.
"if there are any adventurous souls with brave hearts and, yes, a decent amount of money saved for an occasion such as this, now would be the time for them to take the bull by the horns." – if you mean that now would be a good time to start contacting Japanese NGOs and asking them if they need volunteer assistance, if one could pay his or her own way to come, what skills are needed, and if the NGO will coordinate where and how to help, etc., then, yes, I agree with you. But if you are saying – just show up and try to help then, no, I have to strongly disagree with you, as the government is actually begging people NOT to do this. Imagine a volunteer hurting someone – or, worse, pretending to volunteer and actually robbing someone, harming someone, etc.
I concur. Having been down in the Gretna/Belle Chasse area of Katrina-affected Louisiana, I found that because all these people poured into the area, to take the afew availble housing and the better-paying jobs, those of us locals were displaced, struggling to find housing, and taking the poorly-paid jobs left. I ended up having to move 5 times due to conditions, and each time, it took me several months to find a new place. Mostly, the blocks of housing were taken up by FEMA personnel, Religious Relief personnel, and other worker, all brought in from out of state, out of country, and out of gulf-coast region. I had friends who had the same results. And, rent shot up from $450 or so for a one-bedroom apt to $1200 for a one-bedroom apt. Hire local people, who are out of a job and out of housing for the moment, and let them rebuild it.