The Management of Chaos

We feel the burden of dealing with a historic event. With only a couple of paid Red Cross professionals, we have a several offices with people looking to squeeze out any available space. First of all, there is chaos without panic. That's inevitable under these conditions. Chaos does not mean spastic. All the volunteers are friendly, tied together by the realization that we are playing a part in the historic event. So dealing with uncertainty and shifting perspective to adjust to changing people and conditions is necessary. The other noticeable adjustment is making decisions without having administrative endorsement. I cannot describe how busy the few paid professionals are. We all have to decide whether an action requires the head person’s approval or not. There is NO hand holding, except by volunteers who have already been there. On the other hand I think there are actions that must be approved. We are empowered to complete forms that allow survivors to purchase goods from Walmart (and a couple of other places). Certainty is an absolute necessity in this case, so we have to wait to the side to get 30 seconds of time from someone to confirm that the paperwork is correct. There is a very clear sense that personal initiative is important within boundaries. Getting a feel for boundaries is difficult.

More later… I’m working on a document to give out to a community-wide meeting after lunch that lays out a three-phase strategy for working with these 150 families. I’d rather be doing face-to-face work (fortunately I do get some of that) but developing this plan for recovery and then putting it into action is the task I have been assigned.