Support Services

Support services, offered to communities after a disaster incident, in addition to clearing the debris, can be divided into the following four interrelated categories—all of which are critical to effective disaster management:

Funding/Reimbursement Assistance

Much of the funding and reimbursement assistance following a disaster in the USA will come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). All reimbursement is based on the supporting documentation. The documentation must be able to stand the test of audit. The primary reason that local governments fail to receive reimbursement is the lack of properly documented disaster costs. Since federal payments are based on Project Worksheets, final inspections and audits, the proper documentation of costs is an absolute requirement. It is not enough just to complete the disaster-related work – that work must be fully and accurately documented!

GreenCo professionals understand the important relationship between the quality and requirement for documentation and reimbursement. This documentation is extensive and includes payroll documentation; equipment use documentation; and materials and supplies documentation to name a few examples. We can assist your community in successfully meeting FEMA requirements for reimbursement.

Technology Services

To provide access to information, technology services are increasingly critical to efficient disaster management. The role of technology in disaster management is to connect, inform and ultimately save the lives of those impacted by disasters. Technology restores connectivity to impacted areas so that governments can communicate with citizens and people can find their loved ones.

Technology enables responders to coordinate rescue missions and work efficiently from the minute they arrive in a disaster zone. Technology helps businesses recover and communities to rebuild faster. GreenCo uses technology to assist communities in developing better solutions for managing disaster incidents. GreenCo professionals use the latest technology to assist communities in achieving the most efficient emergency management possible. Disasters often overload or even knock out local infrastructure making access to data and communication systems difficult to impossible.

The cloud technology, used by GreenCo professionals, works around this challenge because data is stored and accessible far from the disaster zone. The Cloud can be quickly scaled so local agencies presence after a disaster is secure from outages.

We have already moved into the future of disaster response in which agencies can exchange critical data in an open and real-time way. GreenCo uses the latest technology because we know that lives depend on our having and knowing how to use this technology.

Mobile Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC)

DRCs are often available following a disaster to offer in-person support to individuals and businesses in the area. Recovery specialists from FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration, the State and other agencies are at the centers to talk about assistance and to help anyone who needs guidance in filing an application.

DRCs are accessible to people with disabilities. Centers have assistive technology equipment, allowing survivors to use amplified telephones, phones that display text, amplified listening devices for people with hearing loss and magnifiers for people with vision loss. Video Remote Interpreting is available and in-person sign language is available by request. The centers also have accessible parking, ramps and restrooms.

American Sign Language interpreters are available to assist at a DRC. Requests can be made via text message a telephone number. Survivors need to provide their names, the address of the DRC they will be visiting, the date and time of their visit and the type of sign language they are requesting. All requests for help should usually be made at least 24 hours in advance of a DRC visit to ensure that assistance is available.

As part of GreenCo’s overall media release efforts, we will ensure that your community knows the locations of these important mobile services. Julie and David, is there anything else that can be said here about your involvement with these centers?

Humanitarian Support

GreenCo officials are knowledgeable regarding the principles of effective humanitarian support, which includes the following considerations:

• Needs assessment should be conducted as soon as possible to determine what kinds of humanitarian support are needed.
  >[According to determinations made during the needs assessment, GreenCo can provide communities with many types of equipment and supplies that may be needed—from portable toilets to cots.]

• Nonprofit organizations such as the Red Cross and other community service groups need to be informed as soon as possible regarding the extent and kind of humanitarian support is needed.
• Information regarding support supplies and materials must be circulated openly and subjected to review to ensure accountability for the management of humanitarian supplies.
• Continuous dialogue is often necessary between civilian and military or local authorities to ensure the most efficient movement of humanitarian supplies into the hands of those who need them. Many of those on the GreenCo teams have previous military experience and experience working in stressful emergency environments.

In addition to meeting the communications and data gathering requirements following a disaster, technology also has many new solutions for meeting humanitarian needs following a disaster incident. GreenCo professionals have access to and know how to use some of the latest technological equipment to assist in efficiently responding to humanitarian needs following disaster events.

Examples of a few humanitarian supplies made possible by modern technology and used by GreenCo personnel include the following:

• MPowered’s Luci Light—ultra-bright, lightweight, waterproof, shatterproof, and reliable in blackouts or extreme conditions
• Charles-Nielsen’s Life-Bed– an inflatable mattress that combines a hygienic, comfortable sleeping surface with a barrier against hypothermia.
• The Universal Anesthesia Machine (UAM) uses electricity and compressed oxygen when available and continues to deliver safe, consistent anesthesia when these sources are inaccessible or in low supply.
• SatCase is a revolutionary device that transforms the common smartphone into a sophisticated satellite phone. By inserting a smartphone into SatCase, the result is a smart mix of rescue and personal security features. Users can stay in touch with others, no matter where they are in the world.
• Quick Disaster has created an app for a wearable device like Google Glass. Quick Disaster provides guidance and information on rescue procedures for nine different disaster types and sends its GPS location to response teams. Quick Disaster can also be integrated with social media to inform others about the users’ situation.
• Safelet and Cuff are GPS-equipped bracelets with integrated microphones. These technologies have the potential to be used by emergency responders being deployed in dangerous areas. They allow the wearer to send out an emergency alert to a chosen recipient, signaling they are in distress and providing their GPS location for recovery.