RAPID/Collaborative Research: Field Study of Volunteer Convergence in Post-Disaster Relief

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The emergency response to Hurricane Harvey involved not only traditional relief agencies but many ordinary citizens and small groups who felt compelled to assist the many residents who found themselves stranded in the face of rising flood waters. Many volunteers brought personal watercraft and organized rescue missions along flooded streets and bayous. Other groups, such as religious organizations, small businesses, and service organizations, opened their doors as informal shelters, with the congregations or organization members serving as volunteers and providing food and shelter for displaced individuals. These spontaneous volunteers represent a valuable source of labor but present significant logistical challenges for central response planners. The spontaneous volunteer labor force is largely unpredictable, may enter and leave at will, and possess a variety of useful skills. Moreover, while individuals may have good intentions in volunteering, they are largely untrained in emergency response and may present dangers to themselves and to others. This RAPID award will provide a better understanding of the dynamics of spontaneous volunteer response and should improve the ability of response planners to effectively incorporate citizen volunteers in disaster relief efforts. A graduate student and undergraduate students will be involved in this effort and will be provided valuable experience by working on this research project. This award will provide support for data collection efforts in Houston, Texas in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey with several research objectives in mind: (1) to understand the organizational dynamics associated with volunteer intake and assignment; (2) to create and validate analytical models for volunteer intake and service length; (3) to understand the barriers to successful incorporation of spontaneous volunteers into the emergency response to disasters. The PIs will collect data from a number of groups involved in the relief effort, including religious organizations, local businesses, ad-hoc groups, and traditional relief agencies. The PIs will observe activities in active relief operations, interview relief staff and volunteers, and collect and analyze volunteer logs and disaster management systems. These data will provide valuable input for predictive models for volunteer convergence.