Managing People During Disasters Eneni Oduwole (November 2010)

Managing PEOPLE & Disasters

Presented by:Eneni Oduwole, AMBCICountry Rep. BCI, Nigeria &Group Head, Operational Risk Management

Eneni Oduwole, AMBCI (Country Rep. BCI, Nigeria)

People

• The human race of varied creed, culture, race, colour, look, perceptions, reflexes, knowledge bases

• Usually employ both emotional and logical methods for problem-solving

• Created with a strong survival instinct• Can be creative in dire and extreme

situations• Would naturally focus on self; would

focus on all when groomed and trained to think differently…

Eneni Oduwole, AMBCI (Country Rep. BCI, Nigeria)

Disasters

• Unpredictable incidents with dire circumstances

• Can occur naturally or are man-made

• Usually results in loss of lives and properties

• Hardly contained instantly• Require focused attention

and processes for timely redress

• Redefines the course of events thereafter

Eneni Oduwole, AMBCI (Country Rep. BCI, Nigeria)

People + Disasters

Usually:• Taken by surprise• Disregard early warnings• Prefer to witness the extent of

damage• Panic during disasters • Get harmed or killed• Suffer after disasters

(epidemics, desolation, bereavement, sense of well-being

Eneni Oduwole, AMBCI (Country Rep. BCI, Nigeria)

Managing People During Disasters

• Involves calming people down• Requires orderliness in

managing response strategies• Involves prioritization of actions

to be taken and people to be attended to

• Requires consideration of extent and content of information to be shared

• Involves the balanced use of emotion and logic in the process

Pay attention to the HUMAN ELEMENT…

Eneni Oduwole, AMBCI (Country Rep. BCI, Nigeria)

The Human Element…

• Paying attention to the emotional and physical needs of people

• Appropriately responding to people affected by a disaster

• Effectively deploying recovery agents during disasters

• Properly synchronizing all response and recovery efforts for managing people required to resume business after a disaster

Eneni Oduwole, AMBCI (Country Rep. BCI, Nigeria)

Concerns• Trauma Management

• Effective Communications

• People tracking & accountability

• Emergency Response Management

• Accessibility to funds

• Managing personal well-being

• Business Continuity requirements

Eneni Oduwole, AMBCI (Country Rep. BCI, Nigeria)

Trauma Management

If not properly addressed could result in:

• Increased absenteeism; Reduced productivity

• High turnover• Suicide• Increased abnormal mental health

cases• Low morale for living• Inability to earn a living

Eneni Oduwole, AMBCI (Country Rep. BCI, Nigeria)

Effective Communications

If badly managed, could result in:

• Dissemination of wrong information

• Panic• Loss of business partners,

customers and other related relationships

• Panic• High recovery costs

Eneni Oduwole, AMBCI (Country Rep. BCI, Nigeria)

People Tracking & Accountability

Concerns:

• Accountability for survivors and fatalities

• Access to critical personnel data• Access to relatives• Information gathering capabilities• People requirement for resumption

of business• Temporary staffing required

Eneni Oduwole, AMBCI (Country Rep. BCI, Nigeria)

Emergency Response Management

Requires:• Ensuring immediate and effective

address of source of disaster if manageable

• Identifying response / recovery teams and members

• Planning for and having access to emergency services

• Access to disaster relief funding• Addressing transportation needs for

those to be transported home and those required at the DR Site

• Awareness of DR responses and roles

Eneni Oduwole, AMBCI (Country Rep. BCI, Nigeria)

Planning Strategies

• Employee / People education• Deployment of effective systems

(HR, business, etc)• Development of virtual

infrastructure• Investing in shared recovery

services• Instituting DR Structures that are

well-known to all• Putting in place Policies and

Procedures

Eneni Oduwole, AMBCI (Country Rep. BCI, Nigeria)

Managing the Human Element

Eneni Oduwole, AMBCI (Country Rep. BCI, Nigeria)

Uncontrollable Factors

Limited resources to fund emergency procedures

Place, time or

type of disaster

The individual’s

response to

traumatic

incidents

Nonchalant behaviours

Eneni Oduwole, AMBCI (Country Rep. BCI, Nigeria)

Note that...

Due attention must be paid in managing the human

element for effective and efficient disaster / emergency

response or recovery

Eneni Oduwole, AMBCI (Country Rep. BCI, Nigeria)

Thank you

Thank you