Everyone Wants to Be the Hero

They shared around the table that one of the biggest challenges is partners who do not think to coordinate with the Hawaii VOAD. This is trouble for them locally. Efforts are duplicated and inappropriate responses are the direct result of not coordinating with VOADs and local LTRGs.  “Everyone wants to be the hero” and come in with donations and supplies–which may or may not be needed by the community. What is truly needed are people willing to come to do the quiet, humble work of listening to local leaders and fitting into an ecosystem of services on the ground. This takes time, and careful attention, but that’s what is most effective. Not dramatic airdrops of supplies or headline rescues–those are for trained emergency management systems and professionals to do immediately after a disaster. Long term recovery is very different–it is a marathon, not a sprint.