The Oklahoma Tornado: Disaster Relief and Collaboration

By now we have all heard of the death and devastation caused by the May 20 EF5 tornado which sent 210 mile per hour winds through Moore, Oklahoma. Many of us want to find a way to help the survivors, and many of us have tried.In an effort to help, many people are sending donations that just aren’t needed. Precious warehouse space is being taken up by used clothes, shoes and stuffed animals. Disaster relief groups are not typically set up to handle large donations of clothing and other items, and instead are asking people to send money which can be spent locally, in response to the facts on the ground as they emerge. The key element being stressed is that the relief effort has to be tailored to the specific situation in Oklahoma, in collaboration with people on site with actual knowledge of the needs of the community.Collaborative efforts play an important role in disaster recovery efforts. In his book GROUP GENIUS, Keith Sawyer discusses a 1980 earthquake in a village near Naples, Italy. Due to the mountainous terrain where the disaster occurred, outside relief groups were slow to arrive. Writes Sawyer:“Almost six thousand volunteers rushed in to help. There were problems – these rescue groups caused traffic that blocked roads; some of them had no equipment; and a few hadn’t even brought food for themselves. But soon a surprising thing happened: Without any management or leaders, the volunteers formed themselves into unofficial organizations, emergent groups that saved hundreds of lives. . . Soon there emerged a complex system consisting of a collection point [at a nearby university], a couple of trucks that went back and forth to the village, and a team in the village that distributed supplies and helped in search and rescue.”A few days later, the Army arrived and assumed control of relief efforts, shutting down the autonomous operation of the volunteer network. Although the Army had better training and know-how, they were less effective than the ad-hoc volunteer groups had been because the Army needed to adapt their skills to the unique realities on the ground, realities of which the local volunteers were more fully aware. Ultimately, the centrally planned and organized approach of the Army was less effective and efficient than the efforts of the improvised group of volunteers.What’s true about collaborative disaster relief efforts is true about every collaborative endeavor – improvisation and innovation are necessary parts of the process. Creative collaborators need to allow room for new ideas to emerge in response to the realities of the specific project in question. And sometimes, experience and planning can actually stifle innovation, especially when coupled with a belief that they are more valuable than a commitment to the collaborative process.I encourage everyone to donate generously to relief groups which are empowering local organizations in Oklahoma, such as the American Red Cross, AmeriCares, Operation USA, Samaritan’s Purse and Oklahoma-based Feed The Children.