Proceedings of the Subcommittee on
Canada's Emergency and Disaster
Preparedness
Issue 5 - Evidence
OTTAWA, Thursday, September 9, 1999
The Subcommittee on Canada's Emergency and Disaster Preparedness of the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance met this day at 9:05 a.m. to examine Canada's disaster and emergency preparedness.
Senator Terry Stratton (Chairman) in the Chair.
[English]
The Chairman: We have four presenters here this morning. The mandate of the committee is to study and examine disaster and emergency readiness and preparedness in Canada related to National Defence expenditures, as set out in the Main Estimates 1999-2000.
Our first witness today is Mr. Armour, from the United Way of Canada.
Please proceed, Mr. Armour.
Mr. David Armour, President, United Way of Canada: Thank you for the invitation to speak with you this morning. This is an important item for all Canadians. We are pleased that the Senate is looking into this matter and looking at how, collectively, Canadians can do a better job before, during, and after natural disasters.
We applaud the work of the military in the disasters that we have seen in Canada. I wish to extend our sincere thanks and appreciation for the tremendous work that has been done by National Defence in the disasters that we have lived through in the last few years.
Within the voluntary sector, we strongly recognize and support the role of the Canadian Red Cross society in responding directly and immediately to national disasters. We work closely with the national Red Cross. We are probably one of their largest non-governmental funders. They are one of the 4,000 health and social service agencies that we fund across Canada. We certainly recognize and appreciate the role of the Red Cross and other organizations such as the Salvation Army.
In a disaster, there is an immediate response for shelter, food, and clothing, but there is also a response to the people to assist them in bringing their lives back together and in providing and supporting the health and social service infrastructure. I will speak to you about that today, as well as the vital role of the United Way in bringing together some of that and in coordinating and funding some of that.
To give you a sense of United Way, there are 126 local, autonomous United Ways and Centraides in Canada. They cover about 83 per cent of the population of the country. They are local organizations that were created in each community to look at the health and social services needs that are not being funded with tax dollars, how we run a campaign and pool our resources to address those needs, how we build on the community's capacities and allocate funds to health and social service agencies to address issues in our community, how we strengthen the voluntary sector, and how we talk to the community about health and social service issues. When you add it all up, last year our 126 organizations raised over $284 million and funded over 4,000 health and social service local charities. It is all done at a local level. If you are from a large city, you think of United Way as a large organization, whether it is Winnipeg, Toronto or Montreal, but we have approximately 20 United Ways in the country that are in small farming communities that have no office and no staff. They are a group of local volunteers working together to help build the community and help people to care for one another.
Our mission is to increase the organized capacity of people to care for one another. It is in that context that we get involved in something like national disasters. How do we mobilize the capacity of the community to get involved in these situations? In terms of the services, we fund from prevention through counselling, through crisis intervention, through post-intervention, and through post-issue counselling. If you look at the agencies that we fund and the network of social services, we are into preventative, quality-building programs for youth such as the Y, scouts, Big Brothers, and Big Sisters.
We are into counselling programs for the family and have a whole range of counselling programs for all different organizations. We are into crisis intervention. In many places, we were the first organization to fund women's shelters and to fund places to find home and shelter for people. We are into counselling afterwards in terms of the support that can be provided to people after a disaster. That is really our role.
In last few years, we have learned a lot about how United Ways can help mobilize the voluntary sector. First, we recognize the rightful roles of the military and of organizations like Red Cross. What else can be done? How can we bring the community together? Think of a crisis and think of the potential for the volunteer centre to be much more involved in dispatching volunteers and work in a way they had never worked before. Community information centres could handle calls they had never handled before. Think of the increased workload and caseload on all of the organizations in which we are involved. Also, think of how proactive those organizations can be.
Sometimes in a crisis, you can have a situation where an agency might not be the first one called. However, if they were encouraged by a funder organization like United Way to consider how to roll up their sleeves and do something about it now, they can be quite proactive. It is up to us to look at the capacity of the community.
We are not the front-line disaster response agency. However, we are very involved once the water has been drained away and people start bulldozing what is left of the buildings. We all know that the important thing is people's lives and how people are coping. We need to determine what counselling is needed and what support is needed.
In Winnipeg and in Saguenay-Lac-St.-Jean, we have also seen that existing human problems are often made much worse during such a crisis. If the family or a marriage is experiencing problems, or someone is having a bit of trouble with alcoholism or something in their life, there is an escalation of those problems during a crisis like natural disaster. It is not only that the caseload has increased in a lot of our organizations but also that the severity of many cases has gone up dramatically. The concern is with what we would call the "softer infrastructure."
We have learned from Winnipeg, from Lac-Saint-Jean, from the floods, and from the ice storm. I would say to you quite humbly that we are learning a new way of working, a new way of United Ways and Centraides mobilizing and working together in the aftermath of disaster.
I do not come here saying that we have it all worked out. We have a fantastic model that will plug and play in every community. We are not there yet. We are now looking at how to take the best of what we have learned in each of these communities, and the best of what is learned in the United States, both in natural and unnatural disasters.
The United Way was very involved in the Columbine shooting in Denver. It provided programs for youth and assisted in putting together an emergency fund. The United Way was very involved in the Oklahoma bombing. It has been very involved in many natural disasters of floods and hurricanes in the United States as well.
As a system, we are looking at how we can best get involved. It is really about connecting people who want to help other people.
When I was in Windsor about 10 years ago, there was a flood in Essex County. We got a phone call at the office from a seven-year-old boy who said that he had put all his toys in two piles. He said, "I was watching TV and all the basements and backyards are flooded. I usually leave all my toys either out in the backyard on in the basement, and there must be a lot of kids who have no toys. I have half of my toys here and I would like to give them to kid who needs toys." In many ways, that is truly the role of the voluntary sector.
There are a lot of people who, if they know there is a need, will very quickly roll up their sleeves and volunteer; they will get involved. There is a huge capacity in the community. There is a huge capacity to get involved by organizations that are already there.
Our role, and that of organizations like United Way, is to be that connector. Let people know there is a need, if they do not already know from the media. Let people know that there is something real and tangible that they can do. We can help people roll up their sleeves, whether they are volunteers or trained professionals in agencies.
In some cases, we can tap into our own reserves. We do not have very much in the reserves as United Ways, but sometimes communities will have funds we can tap into to get agencies out there immediately and to pay for extra case workers and counsellors. We have set up fundraising campaigns and raised funds directly in some communities.
In other communities, we have helped other organizations raise funds. We have negotiated that people can drop off money at any bank and float that through. In some cases of natural disasters, we have actually counselled the fundraising group. We have assisted them in their fundraising and direct mail campaign. We do a lot of fundraising. We have some skills that we can offer to other groups: It may be ourselves setting up a fund; it may be us helping other new organizations raise funds or supporting the Red Cross in their fundraising. We support a lot of crisis counselling and ongoing services.
We are concerned that the impact of a crisis is a lot longer than you would think. In Saguenay-Lac-St.-Jean, for example, we provided additional support through the agencies for 12 to 24 months afterwards. There is the initial crisis of the buildings and the structures around us. Subsequently, however, there is a lot of work to be done helping people bring their lives back together and get back to normal.
I know that your committee is really grappling with the issue of what we can do now to be better prepared in future. We are putting together best practices. We will be looking at what has worked and what has not. We will examine some models, partner organizations, and tools. We would have those available at a national level in order that, when a natural disaster strikes, we can get the tools and resources to them in time.
We have each learned how to deal with the disaster as the disaster unfolds. There has been wonderful local learning, but I think we could have done better if we had learned from past experiences. With that kind of local learning, you wind up with great support in the community for the approach you have taken, but it does take a little longer than it should. We need to see how we can accelerate that and provide training and preparedness.
That covers what I wanted to say in terms of our role, which is a fundamental one. Communities have invested through their United Ways and Centraide for many decades, in many communities. Our challenge is how to take the resources we have and use them to their best strengths when people really need the help in a natural disaster -- and at times during unnatural or manmade disasters, as well.
The Chairman: The concern that we share is how to better prepare for the future -- not just governments, but everyone.
I live in Manitoba and am quite accustomed to flooding. We react very well, superbly well, in fact. Since the 1997 flood in Manitoba, decisions have been made whereby homes have been better protected and dikes have been raised. If the home or residence could not be protected properly, then it was removed.
I agree quite readily with you that it takes a long, long time for those who have had their lives disturbed. Watching the families in Manitoba, I have noted the initial shock and then the time it takes to recover. It takes much longer to rebuild a house or re-establish a residence and way of life and get back to normal than anyone thinks. As you have said, it takes as much as two years.
If you were running the show, what would be at the top of your recommendation list as to what we should do to better help people get their lives back together? Would you be more specific on that topic?
Mr. Armour: I have two suggestions. First, local disaster-preparedness plans should include the organizations that will spring into action from the voluntary sector. I mean organizations like United Way, the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, which does a tremendous job, and St. John Ambulance. The coordinating agencies like United Way should be involved so we can use the strength of all the organizations that can be brought to the table. We need better disaster-preparedness plans community by community.
Second, we must find some way to encourage organizations like ours to squeeze every drop of learning from our experiences over the last few years. Our organizations should document that learning and use it to choose best practices, training techniques, and tools. With those good materials, we can spring into action more quickly.
As a national organization in a highly autonomous structure, we act on our training, on our tools, and on our mentoring. We act more quickly if we know what resources are available. Timing is important. We need to get the organizations working together at the local level and to have them stay involved through the long run, up to 24 months in some cases.
In summary, I see a link between planning and a need for more advanced disaster-preparedness plans by the United Way and all the other organizations. We must know what tools and inside resources are in place right now.
The Chairman: Do you act more as a liaison where you connect a group or an association with an individual or family in need? Do you operate as a resource base?
Mr. Armour: We can do that, but we can be more directly involved at the local level, too. In some cases, we have set up and run a campaign to raise funds to help people. In other cases, such as the flood in Essex County, we advised their fundraising committee how to reach their goal of about $2 million dollars.
In other cases, we will simply call the 50 or 100 agencies that we fund in an affected community and ask them if they can spring into action. We offer them funds from our reserves to cover their direct costs. We ask them to get out there and roll up their sleeves and to bring us quick feedback about the personnel and the support that they need to meet the caseload that is developing. Then we help them to do what they need to do. Many of the agencies in the voluntary sector are strapped. They are doing everything they can with what they have, and to do more in an emergency seems a daunting task.
Other coordinating bodies and funding bodies can get involved. Once we have the phone lines open and we know how many volunteers are needed and what the needs are, we can coordinate the efforts. Sometimes it comes down to just plain funding. Sometimes there is a need for more counsellors or better cooperation between workers. At other times, it is as simple as the United Way staff taking their four-wheel-drive vehicle and going from agency to agency to find out which ones are open in the crisis. First, they find out if the staff and volunteers are all okay, and then they find out who can do what in the situation.
At other times, the United Way is just one player at a table with 20 other organizations seeking to bring together a plan. There is a whole range of involvement.
[Translation]
Senator Ferretti Barth: The United Way exists in the United States, in Canada and in other countries. The mission of that body is to raise funds and to allocate them to bodies or agencies in need of help to be in operation or to address some issues.
You have witnessed the disasters which occurred in Quebec and in Manitoba. How did the United Way get involved in the affected communities?
You stated that you provided funds for food and clothing. Are there any statistical information as to the number of families which got support from the United Way, whether in Quebec during the ice storm or the flooding in Manitoba?
Does the United Way work in cooperation with other organizations which provide support to communities after a natural disaster? In concrete terms, how do you learn from past experience? How do you plan for future involvement?
[English]
Mr. Armour: United Way's primary role is to provide a community-building organization that helps people care for one another. One method is to raise funds. Another method is the creation of places or groups in the community where people from all walks of life, from corporations, from business, from the voluntary sector, from government, from other funders work together to grapple with health and social service issues. The primary role of United Way is to bring the community together to grapple with these issues.
We have considerable experience in learning how to deal with disasters. In each situation that we have faced, each flood, each crisis, the United Way was unique in how it dealt with the issues. We only work in cooperation with other organizations. We do not work alone; we work only in cooperation with organized labour, with business, with government, with the voluntary sector. We work in very close cooperation with the Red Cross, with the Salvation Army, with St. John Ambulance, and a whole range of other organizations. Sometimes we will facilitate the discussions, but many times we are just one of the players in a community where we may fund 50 or 60 agencies. We help to bring those resources to the situation.
You asked how many people have been helped. Typically, on an annual basis, United Way agencies help one out of three or one out of four people in a given community. If you count the people helped by every United Way-funded agency in a community, in all the areas of health and social services, we impact the lives of one in three or one in four. We have not defined the number of people who were helped during a particular disaster.
It is my understanding that this committee will tour some sites later on. We would be pleased to put you in touch with the local United Way and Centraide offices in the areas you choose to visit so that you can hear the specific examples of how many people were helped. In Jonquière, for example, the Volunteer Bureau can tell you how their caseload went up because of the flood. The Family Counselling Agency could tell you how their caseload was affected. Those agencies can tell you how Centraide's support allowed them to keep working when they lost their office, how they set up a temporary office and got the community volunteers out to wherever they were most needed.
Your third question was about planning for future disasters. I would be interested in your thoughts on that. We focus on training. We have national, provincial, and regional conferences on training. There are strong roles for United Way to play as a coordinator, as a funder, and as a mobilizer of communities. That is our role as it relates to the military and to the Red Cross and the other organizations that have a more primary role.
Much of what we are learning in the voluntary sector is about having the tools, having the resources, and having the awareness. Most organizations do what we call "just-in-time" learning. People cannot learn everything they might possibly need to know about every situation, but they can know where the tools are so that when something happens they can learn very quickly. For us to mount a system where we would train all 126 United Ways on how to deal with a disaster and have them know everything they could know about it might not be as successful as having every one know there is a good set of tools and good reference materials. The minute something happens, they will know where to go. I think that will be more efficient.
[Translation]
Senator Ferretti Barth: Over 25 years ago, I founded a community centre for Montreal senior citizens from various ethnic communities. That centre is subsidized by the United Way. During the ice storm, we called on about hundred of our volunteers who work all year around providing various services. We provided shelter, food, clothing and advice to people who could no longer live at home.
The Red Cross offered us some support but we did not hear at all from the Montreal United Way. Although we are on their list as a centre providing free services to the least privileged. We invested a lot of human capital to assist people. The Red Cross gave us a hand because we could not meet our expenses.
How can the United Way work in such situations if it does not get in touch with the agencies receiving grants so that services can be provided in emergency situations?
Why does the United Way not contact those agencies? Does the Red Cross receive grants?
[English]
Mr. Armour: The ice storm was such an interesting experience from the aspect of how different communities mobilize differently. Many of us lived through it differently. I live north of here, and there was no power in our house for 11 days. I am in a little place 10 kilometres from a community of 300 people that mobilized very differently. Downtown Hull or Aylmer mobilized very differently than small communities in Quebec and very differently than Montreal.
With the ice storm and natural disasters like that, as I said earlier, the primary disaster relief organization is the Red Cross, and we totally support that role. In Montreal, the decision was made in Centraide du grande Montréal to totally support the Red Cross, to have the Red Cross take the primary role and the Centraide du grand Montréal not to be as active in the intervention. In other communities in Quebec, we saw a very different pattern. We saw small Centraides in smaller communities say, "Yes, that is the primary role of the Red Cross, but we will do everything we can as well directly." There were different patterns.
If your experience was in Montreal, you would have seen and felt the Red Cross and the wonderful work they did. As you said, in that agency you did not directly see the Centraide. That was a decision that was made, given their understanding of the role of the Red Cross. In other communities, your experience would have been quite different in the ice storm. Your experience might have been, in some of the smaller Centraides, that in fact the Red Cross was doing immediate disaster relief but Centraide was also there working with all of its agencies, saying, "What can we do to help? What resources do we have? How can we work together?" Each community is unique in the way organizations have worked together in terms of what is most efficient and effective.
Also, we are hopeful that coming out of the work that we will be doing over the next year or so will be a sense of all the different models so that the community very early on can see what other communities have done and what the results have been and how we can get involved.
You are quite right. Your experience in Montreal, we understand, is exactly as you have described.
[Translation]
Senator Ferretti Barth: The United Way knows the efficiency of these agencies. I found it strange that the Red Cross contacted us but not the United Way. The Red Cross does not know us but the United Way does. It has been subsidizing our centre for several years now. They presented us with a merit award for our work. We have volunteers in the field at all times. We take part in all of the United Way's activities.
In the future, the United Way might want to contact the agencies because it knows our potential support.
[English]
Mr. Armour: Those are very helpful comments. Thank you.
The Chairman: We must be prudent and manage our dollars as best as we possibly can, but we are hoping to get funding for travel. The subcommittee is hoping to go to Western Canada on one swing and to Eastern Canada on another. Again, that depends on how the budget comes down, but we are optimistic. I believe, as you do, that the only real way to find out what really happened out there and what should happen in the future is to be on the ground right where the disaster occurred. For example, heavy rains this spring caused another flood in southwestern Manitoba and southeastern Saskatchewan. The area involved is primarily agricultural, and a great number of people were affected by that flooding. No lives were lost, and very few homes were flooded, but large tract of farms were wiped out. Therefore, the economic impact of that flooding affected not only the farms involved but the towns and villages in that region. I think it is critical to look at the impact on those people and to try to determine the best way to deal with such an event in the future.
Again, we react well to the immediate concern, but are we doing everything possible in the long term to help people get over what is probably one of the most traumatic events they will face.
Thank you for attending today. We appreciate it very much.
Mr. Armour: As I said, if your committee gets approval to travel, I would be pleased to put you in touch with the local United Ways and Centraides in each of the communities you visit so that they can link you to the agencies, in order for you to get a full experience.
The Chairman: Major Hollman is here to present to us, in a similar light, the function of the Salvation Army during a disaster and to make recommendations as to the future. Ms Hollman has given us a brochure on what the Salvation Army has done in past events. I can speak personally, and I am sure many of us can, as to the effectiveness of the Salvation Army in the field. If you are fighting a flood, and getting wet and tired and hungry, and all of a sudden their truck pulls up with hot soup and a sandwich, it is quite a blessing.
Major, please proceed with your presentation. We will follow with questions.
Major Ruth Hollman, Government Relations Liaison Officer, Salvation Army: The Salvation Army is an international Christian organization. The service provided by Salvation Army personnel and volunteers to servicemen overseas during the two world wars in Europe is legendary. From the operation of canteens, to the gifts of socks and underwear, to the emotional and spiritual support offered to the military personnel on the front lines, the Salvation Army met the needs of many lonely and often frightened souls who were far from home.
The Salvation Army has been at work in Canada for more than 115 years, providing a rich and varied service to the community. The range of work includes support for the families, victims, and offenders involved with the correctional system, shelter and food for the homeless, operation of hospitals, programs for unwed parents, social services for the poor, including counselling and training as well as provision of food, clothing and furniture, and a host of other support programs for the needy in our community.
Additionally, the Salvation Army has been a significant presence in responding to emergencies and disasters that have occurred over the years in communities across Canada. Agencies such as the local fire departments have had arrangements with the Salvation Army for years. When a major fire occurs, the fire chief, or his designate, calls the army for assistance in activities such as victim and firefighter support and the provision of nutritional refreshments, as well as the traditional doughnuts and coffee.
The emergency plans of most major municipalities include agreements with the Salvation Army for the provision of one or more of the emergency social services during a major incident. Our mission statement for the work we do in emergency and disaster response in Canada is as follows:
In Emergency Disaster Services The Salvation Army is motivated by compassion and Christian concern for the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the victims of crisis and for those who minister to them. By making every reasonable effort to provide immediate relief of human needs in the wake of disaster, The Salvation Army will express Christian love to mankind regardless of their race, colour, creed, sex or age.
Although it may not be widely known, the Salvation Army is, nonetheless, very much involved in emergency response work in Canada. In order to illustrate this fact, here are several examples of work done by the Salvation Army in the field of emergency disaster response.
The Manitoba Red River flood. At the first meeting of the City of Winnipeg's disaster response team on March 26, 1997, it was agreed that the Salvation Army would be involved in temporary feeding and housing, areas in which the army has much experience. Subsequently, in early April 1997, a team of Salvation Army officers and staff went down to Fargo and Grand Forks to see the flooding there and to see the Salvation Army canteens in operation. By April 20, 1997, the first phase of the Salvation Army's "Operation We Care" response to the flood of the century began. Hundreds of tonnes of clothing and non-perishable food items for the flood victims poured into Winnipeg to be distributed by the Salvation Army. Donation distribution centres were opened on May 16 and May 20 respectively.
By May 21, the second phase of Operation We Care was initiated. With waters receding, families were returning to their homes to survey the damage. Operation We Care fed volunteers and families, distributed material aid, visited with families and began the process of helping flood victims restore some normality to their lives.
The third and long-term phase of the Operation We Care response program began. The orientation increasingly shifted to rebuilding and to community-building projects. The canteens continued to deliver some meals to volunteers and flood victims. Material goods were distributed and homes were visited.
In the late summer and fall, Operation We Care provided funds for school supplies, playground equipment, and money to rebuild playgrounds in several communities. By late fall, gifts of money were distributed to many of those who had experienced substantial or total loss of their homes. Community work continued into the winter of 1998-99 and aid was distributed.
The ice storm of 1998. Resources from all the major centres in eastern Ontario, as well as from Montreal, were shared with many of the smaller communities stranded without power during the ice storm. Mobile canteens delivered hot meals to shelters and provided meals for relief workers. Some examples that verify the heavy demand on these resources include the following: Kingston. There were 5,000 meals served and 250 families per day provided with non-perishable goods, that is peanut butter, canned foods, bread, diapers, et cetera.
Montreal. The main thrust of the Salvation Army's response was to ensure supplies to the darkened south area of the city with two mobile canteens taking food to people fighting to maintain their own homes in the hardest hit areas. A third unit continued serving itinerants on the streets of Montreal. More than 4,300 meals were served from the mobile units.
Ottawa. This was another major centre of helping and care. Assistance was provided to countless numbers of hydro workers, military personnel, volunteers, and hundreds of people who were forced from their homes. Hot food and beverages were taken to various shelters and to command posts throughout eastern Ontario in places such as Lanark County, Rideau and Osgoode Townships, Embrun, Casselman, St. Albert, Moose Creek, Smiths Falls, et cetera. Salvation Army personnel operated food banks, coordinated volunteers, delivered blankets, food, medical and baby supplies, assisted in shelters, coordinated the receipt and distribution of donated food and supplies, and a wide variety of other emergency support activities.
Brockville. The Salvation Army served 14,976 meals during the ice storm in the Brockville region. About 100 Salvation Army staff and volunteers provided shelter, meals, and spiritual counsel for approximately 150 people, most of whom were seniors, at its local church building. Once they were cared for, mobile canteens took from 800 to 1,000 meals per day into North Augusta Township.
This provides an overview of some the Salvation Army's work during the ice storm of eastern Ontario and Quebec.
Hub Oil Company Ltd. refinery explosion in Calgary. On August 9, 1999, the Hub oil recycling plant exploded and a fierce fire resulted. No attempt to extinguish the blaze was made for eight hours after the explosion because of the type of materials that were burning and the potential for the many subsequent explosions that took place. At 12:20 p.m., the Calgary rehab team called on the Salvation Army to send its emergency services team to supply and deliver sandwiches, doughnuts, coffee, water and juice to the fire fighters, police officers, emergency medical service personnel, hazardous materials personnel, and other emergency personnel on site. Because the fire fighters were required to remain close to the fire site for their rehab, and were required to pass through a decontamination unit prior to receiving nourishment and rest, it was necessary to arrange a shuttle service in which one of the tri-service units actually transported the food and supplies from the Salvation Army to the rehab units.
An extraordinary amount of water was consumed as a result of the astounding heat generated by the fire. Two vans from the Salvation Army Anchorage centre were used, as well as private cars. One van was used to provide perimeter service while the other was used to shuttle supplies and attending teams. The private cars were used when the vans were fully occupied in their other tasks.
At 2:20 a.m. on August 10, 1999, the Salvation Army emergency service team was advised to stand down. The rehab provisions that were supplied included approximately 200 cups of juice, approximately 240 cups of coffee, approximately 1,000 bottles of water, 600 sandwiches, and 20 dozen doughnuts.
I will now speak about the Peggy's Cove air disaster of Flight 111. There were two distinct phases to the response operation of the Salvation Army in Peggy's Cove. Both phases lasted for the duration of the operation, from September 2, 1998 until September 16, 1998. A total of 53 members of the Salvation Army participated in the Swissair disaster response.
In the first phase, it was the Salvation Army's main role to provide comfort, support, and encouragement to the other caregivers and workers in Peggy's Cove. The army also provided food and refreshments to the media covering the disaster. Two teams were on duty around the clock, in six- or seven-hour shifts.
The second and larger phase was directed towards the relatives of the crash victims. In partnership with the Red Cross, the Canadian military, clergy from other faiths, and the RCMP, teams of five met every plane travelling with relatives of the victims. Serving in a chaplaincy role, Salvation Army officers accompanied buses taking relatives to the Peggy's Cove site and back to the hotel. A team was maintained at the hotel at all times for the duration to provide emotional support and counselling, which was intensive in many cases, taking into account the trauma these bereaved relatives were experiencing. This brought the number of Salvation Army volunteers to more than 100. During the anniversary gatherings, which were held recently in 1999, several families asked that the same Salvation Army officers meet with them as they did in the time of the crash.
The foregoing provides some recent examples of work conducted by the Salvation Army in Canada. Further sampling could have been provided to illustrate the role the army fills in the aftermath of forest fires, tornadoes, and hurricanes, as they have impacted within our border. The supportive nature of emergency social services provided by the Salvation Army and its constant readiness to provide counselling and emotional support has been stated sufficiently through the scenarios described.
I will speak briefly about the international activities of the Salvation Army. The Canadian Salvation Army responds to calls for assistance from two arenas. One is our international headquarters in England. After its emergency disaster team assesses the needs as they exist at the scene of an international calamity, a call goes out to the Salvation Army head offices across the world specifying the sort of assistance needed. This may be solely financial assistance, as is the case in Turkey. I would add here that since this report was completed, the Army is involved in Turkey through Salvation Army offices in Switzerland, Norway, and Sweden. They are involved in arranging tents and food.
The assistance required may alternately be combinations of materials, clothing, food, bedding, finances, et cetera. It may be a combination of the first two alternatives with personnel, such as occurred in Central America's with hurricane Mitch and the Kosovo war and refugee crisis.
The second source of request for Salvation Army assistance comes directly from Canadian government agencies such as CIDA. The Central America recovery operation following hurricane Mitch is included as an appendix to your package. There is a copy of the Christian Imperative, which is a report of the Salvation Army's Canadian advance team visit to Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Honduras in December 1998. The report effectively outlines the role adopted by the Canadian Salvation Army in the aftermath of this disaster.
Teams of Salvation Army workers from across the world, including teams from Canada, worked in the refugee camps in Albania. Their roles varied according to the presenting needs of each day. Distribution of food and clothing in the camps was one of the tasks undertaken by most of the teams while others were given charge of the camps in several centres.
Once the Kosovo refugees began returning to the their homeland, Salvation Army personnel accompanied many of them to provide assistance as they needed it. Specialized tasks, such as village assessment, were undertaken. This entailed determining who was presently living in the village, the condition of the buildings, water supply, electricity, schools, and the projected outcome of their crops. All of this information helped to determine whether families would be able to winterize their lodgings sufficiently to survive the harsh weather conditions to come. The purchase of 2000 stoves is an example of the sort of practical assistance the Salvation Army has provided with the funds donated by the public. The stoves will not only will meet community needs as a means of cooking and keeping warm, but the purchase also helps to re-establish the local economy.
Almost incidentally, emotional support was provided for the residents as they discovered the extent of the damage to their houses and whether the structure even still stood. Because land mines were prevalent, families required counselling when one of their members was killed or maimed by one of these devices. The Salvation Army now has a team studying how it can best provide assistance in the longer term during the next year.
The Salvation Army was deeply involved in work supporting settlement of Kosavars in Canada during Operation Parasol. Salvation Army workers and volunteers distributed new clothing purchased by the Canadian government, as well as donated used clothing, at the temporary settlement on the military bases. Six tonnes of donated clothing were processed in the CFB Trenton area alone.
The Salvation Army was on hand to welcome the refugees upon their arrival and to fit with sandals those whose shoes were deemed to be contaminated by foreign soil. World Vision Canada's "Neighbour-Links" personnel worked with the Salvation Army on this part of the operation. Salvation Army volunteers assisted Red Cross workers in providing programs such as child care, recreation, night supervision, as well as helping the refugees adjust to Canadian household equipment such as the style of clothes washers we use.
In centres such as Peterborough, Ontario, Salvation Army family services personnel have followed up refugee families as they have been placed in communities and assisted them in acquiring their home furnishings and other essentials.
The preceding was included to illustrate, for the committee, some of the ways in which the Salvation Army assists communities in Canada and across the world in times of emergency and disaster. The Salvation Army is often more associated with its social work amongst the less fortunate. Some of our sister organizations are better known for their work in emergency disaster response. It seemed appropriate that this information be included in our presentation.
The Salvation Army would respectfully ask that the Senate committee consider the following recommendations.
As part of the legislation pertaining to declarations of emergency, it would be helpful to encourage the able-bodied residents of a disaster site who are not regularly employed in essential services elsewhere to remain and assist in the relief work in their community.
During the ice storm 1998, one of the roles of the Salvation Army was the co-ordination of volunteer workers in a village in eastern Ontario. It was somewhat disconcerting to be asking volunteers to drive more than 100 kilometres one way to assist with cleanup tasks in the village while the residents drove into their jobs in Ottawa. The residents would likely have taken more ownership for their community recovery and would have assured that the work was done to their satisfaction had they been on site. The out-of-town volunteers could then have focused on providing assistance to the elderly, the physically disabled, and on the property of those whose jobs were genuinely urgent. This would have been reassuring to the volunteers and empowering to the victims who were capable of helping themselves.
Second, we need to legitimize the participation and partnering of all NGOs in emergency disaster relief. Definite coordination is needed of all those agencies identified as co-workers in an emergency response operation. We should recognize the roles of each of these agencies in a manner that encourages teamwork and effective partnering.
During recent events, it has become abundantly clear that no one government agency nor non-government organization has sufficient resources to effectively respond to the huge range of needs presented by the victims of a disaster. The limitations may be financial, material, expertise, or a myriad of other possible shortcomings. When the resources of many groups are inventoried and then combined with a clear definition of roles, the tasks can be so much better accomplished and human suffering is reduced.
Third, we should capitalize on existing strengths and resources to educate the public and mitigate the extent of unnecessary misery in a disaster. Personal preparedness is one of the keys to reducing the consequences of a disaster. Publications such as Industry Canada's "Millennium Bug Home Check!" should be produced on a regular basis, along with advertising, visuals, songs, and other aids.
Many organizations, such as the Salvation Army, have publications that could be co-operatively adapted to meet the emergency education needs of the population at large. One such publication is "PrepGuide -- Home Safety Emergency Plan." I will give a copy of this document to the committee. It is produced by the Salvation Army in the United States in conjunction with some other agencies. Obviously, it will be in a bilingual formal when we produce it here in Canada. This guide is a new Salvation Army resource. It helps households and communities to prepare for emergencies. Perhaps the Salvation Army could partner with the government to make such a publication available to all households.
Honourable senators, on behalf of Jim Ferguson, who is actually away at a disaster conference today, and on my own behalf, thank you for allowing the Salvation Army to share with you today in this way. I want to assure everyone around this table that, as with the Springhill mine disaster and the Edmonton tornado, as with our dear friends in Hungary and Rwanda and at the recent accident on Highway 401, the Salvation Army will be there in any disaster. We will be there to continue our quiet ministry to help alleviate the miseries of mankind. May God bless you all.
The Chairman: The Salvation Army is really a hands-on organization. Whenever we have experienced disasters in Manitoba, you are there on the ground with the people. It is quite evident that you do not just give physical sustenance but also encouragement to the people affected.
My concern is with your description of going into an area with volunteers to help while the homeowners are heading to work. That can be bothersome but we must look at it in perspective. When a disaster strikes, such as a flood, individuals spend a great deal of time trying to protect their homes. They may take time off work to do that, using up sick days and holidays. Then, in the aftermath of an event, their allotment is used up and they must get back to work if they want to keep their jobs. That is part of the problem; it is a fact of life.
Volunteers may see homeowners driving off to work while they are going in to do the hard labour on the ground, but it must be put in perspective to that degree. People who are affected by disasters may have the emotional stress of trying to protect their homes and then the economic stress of needing to go back to work without getting done the work that needs to be done. Individuals and families face that very tough situation, and we must recognize that.
Ms Hollman: I am talking about Casselman actually. Some of our volunteers left their jobs and gave up their work for that time in order to volunteer. That did not happen in every place, obviously.
The Chairman: I was just trying to put a different perspective on it, because I know it is a reality, one that we must recognize as just a fact of life.
I thank you for your recommendations. They are quite clear. It is my hope that our committee will travel. If permission is granted, would you recommend that we take the time to meet with your local groups and organizations as we travel?
Ms Hollman: Jim Ferguson is in charge of the Canadian Salvation Army's disaster planning. He is located here in Ottawa. It is his report that I have just read. He would be very helpful in suggesting where you should visit.
Senator Cook: You mentioned village assessment in Kosovo. Was that at your own initiative, or was direction given from the leadership at some other point? If so, to whom did you report your findings?
Ms Hollman: I would think the Salvation Army worked in conjunction with other agencies that were there, such as World Vision. The Salvation Army would have to report back to our international headquarters.
Senator Cook: Where is the overall leadership, the nerve centre, in such a disaster? All the pieces go out but to whom does that information return?
Ms Hollman: If it is an emergency disaster in another country, our international headquarters in London, England puts out the call and determines exactly what the Salvation Army can do there and will find the appropriate people. For example, we want people who speak the language of the people in the area where the disaster is located. For example, I know for a fact a Canadian officer is going on holidays to Turkey because the gentleman's roots are from Turkey and he knows the language. He is going over to help, but he could not just do it on his own. He would need to get permission from our headquarters, and of course the headquarters would need to know that we can go in. Although the Salvation Army has a presence in 189 countries, we cannot just rush in to a country. We must abide by the laws of the land.
In the case of the Manitoba flood, Jim Ferguson would work in conjunction with the other agencies.
Senator Cook: Would he be connected with a coalition of people?
Ms Hollman: Yes.
Senator Cook: He would send the message out and report back.
Ms Hollman: In the Army, we do have to report. It seems we are always reporting to someone.
Senator Cook: I commend you for your work. I think that the advantage you have in bringing that human comfort to people is your uniform. An elderly person who would normally be frightened by someone knocking on a door would feel comforted seeing someone in a Salvation Army uniform. It is easily recognizable. The uniform should always be worn, on you, as it is, when you go. The same would apply to the Red Cross. Symbols are important. They alleviate anxiety and trauma for people faced with difficulty.
Ms Hollman: Many of our volunteers do not wear the uniform because sometimes we have volunteers who are not Salvationists. They might come from another church or group. However, they are provided with some sort of identification; for example, the Salvation Army logo would be given to them to wear on a sweatshirt or a jacket.
Senator Cook: That is important.
Ms Hollman: I assure you that the Salvation Army could not do what it does without the help of people like you and the general public. We rely on funds from our annual Red Shield Appeal, which is held across the country in the month of May, usually, although we have ongoing fundraising campaigns.
For example, in the case of Turkey, all the Salvation Army countries pitch in. Our international headquarters might say to our headquarters in Toronto: "How much can the Salvation Army afford to give to help?" As I said, we could not do what we do without the help of everyone. Thank you very much for your assistance and your prayers on our behalf. It is not easy to go in to a disaster area. Even though we have the love of God in our hearts, sometimes it is very difficult because we are overcome with emotion. I have a copy of an earlier edition of The War Cry for each one of you. The picture on the front is of a Red Cross worker and a Salvation Army officer at Peggy's Cove. The picture depicts how upset they are, the caregivers. It is a difficult task.
Senator Cook: When you put a human face on it, it becomes very difficult.
Ms Hollman: Yes, it does.
[Translation]
Senator Ferretti Barth: I know quite well the work done by the Salvation Army in the community, especially in Montreal with young addicts. Are you pleased with your involvement last year in Montreal during the ice storm? Have you been able to cover all the human aspects you faced during that disaster?
[English]
Ms Hollman: Thank you for your question. I was not personally involved in Montreal, but I know from those with whom I have spoken and from Mr. Ferguson that they were heavily involved. In Montreal, we have a Spanish ministry, which I find amazing. Of course, we never do enough; we would love to do more.
Senator Ferretti Barth: I understand.
[Translation]
Senator Ferretti Barth: Do you intend to improve your response plan for future disasters? Are you carrying out a preventive process? Do you dispense training for these kinds of things?
[English]
Ms Hollman: One of the aims of the conference Mr. Ferguson is attending in Florida is to come up with suggestions on how we can be prepared for the disasters that come our way. I do not think we are ever totally prepared, but I know that subject is on the agenda of the conference Mr. Ferguson is attending this week.
As I said, I do not think we are ever really prepared for a disaster. I know the Salvation Army was on location within minutes of the accident on Highway 401 this past Labour Day weekend. The Salvation Army was on hand for eight hours with a group of people. As soon as the telephone call comes in, we mobilize our people.
[Translation]
Senator Ferretti Barth: Are you prepared to get involved with cultural communities which have a different way of looking at the situation and who speak a different language? Are your volunteers prepared to meet the cultural communities? In Montreal, we have several ethnic communities.
[English]
Ms Hollman: I agree with you. We do need to get in with the ethnic communities. We are trying. For example, in Vancouver, the Salvation Army is involved with the Chinese; in Toronto, we are involved with Korean, Chinese, and Spanish. In Montreal, it is the French and the Spanish. It is difficult to produce our literature, et cetera, in so many languages.
Senator Ferretti Barth: It is not all Chinese people in Montreal. There are many communities. I hear about the Chinese people, but in Canada there are Italians, Greeks, Portuguese, Arabs, and Sri Lankans. In my centre, there are many communities represented. When I go out for a walk on a Saturday, I often wonder whether I am in the Third World. These people need to have confidence in the approach we use.
[Translation]
In their language and their culture? Otherwise, these people lack trust.
[English]
Ms Hollman: Yes, we agree. If our headquarters knows of someone that speaks the language and they are needed, they try. We are trying.
Senator Ferretti Barth: We help the Salvation Army in Montreal, because in my centre we speak five languages -- not me personally, but the other people.
Ms Hollman: I met someone the other day who spoke eight languages.
The Chairman: Is there more detailed information we could receive on your reporting? Senator Cook particularly is interested in how we can get more information.
Senator Cook: This is a wonderful document, but this is telling the story.
Ms Hollman: That is just Winnipeg.
Senator Cook: I would like to read a copy of a summary report to your territorial headquarters when you come home. It would be very informative.
The Chairman: I should like to ask a question that deals with that single issue of how to prepare for a disaster. That would appear to be the most important thing. The Insurance Bureau of Canada, through its Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction, held a conference in Vancouver with respect to earthquakes. Their approach is not "if" a serious earthquake will occur but rather "when" and how to properly prepare. The conference heard a presentation from an individual who worked for a region in California that suffered an earthquake and how they had prepared a brochure for the citizens of that region to help them prepare for a disaster. Individuals who live in a flood-prone or earthquake-prone zone have a responsibility to prepare for a disaster. A brochure would be a helpful tool toward this end. My view is that Canadians, as individuals, must take more responsibility where possible, with help, for their own protection.If you could leave that brochure with us that would be helpful.
Ms Hollman: Yes, it is helpful; it is something that people can keep on their fridge. I will leave the one copy with you and perhaps it could be shared with the members of the committee.
Senator Cook: In terms of distribution of the brochure, perhaps a good time would be when you do the annual Red Shield Appeal.
Ms Hollman: That is a good idea.
Senator Cook: You are knocking on every door.
Ms Hollman: It costs $1.60 to produce it in the States. That is American dollars but it is still pretty cheap. I shall leave that with you, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman: Our next witness is Mr. Keith Wagler of the Mennonite Disaster Service.
Mr. Keith Wagler, Mennonite Disaster Service: Mr. Chairman, honourable senators, first, I should like to tell you who we are and what we do. The Mennonite Disaster Service is a bi-national organization that responds to natural and certain human-made disasters. We provide assistance with cleanup, repair, and rebuilding of homes. Our target groups are people who have inadequate or no insurance coverage to cover rebuilding costs following a disaster, as well as people who seem least able to help themselves, such as the elderly, disabled, widowed, et cetera.
Although our major thrust for traditional disaster assistance is in the area of post-disaster cleanup and building repair, MDS personnel are willing to expand their areas of involvement where there is need and sufficient number of volunteers are available.
In the Manitoba flood, some advocacy work was done. In some of the more recent larger U.S. projects, mental health staff were brought in to provide trauma counselling where necessary. There are a multitude of agencies, government, private, church, volunteer, et cetera, that seek to respond to people's needs in time of disaster. MDS has a long history of involvement in disaster response and seeks to be helpful where there is a need, supplementing government agencies and working alongside other voluntary organizations.
We recognize that we are guests in a community that has experienced a disaster and we attempt to adhere to local code and requirements. We wish to cooperate with local governments and communities organizations. Experience has shown us that working in partnership with local agencies and involving disaster-stricken homeowners in some of the rebuilding process works much better than each group working separately. When working separately, often there is duplication of one aspect of the work while in other areas needs are not being met.
In the ice storm cleanup in eastern Ontario, our cleanup crews, which went around cutting up trees and cleaning roofs, used local people to direct them to the various addresses throughout the countryside. Our workers indicated that after they had cleaned up trees and cleared off roofs many of the homeowners came out and started cleaning off their own sidewalks and driveways. This seemed to help people regain faith and restore hope.
In the U.S., MDS has cooperative working agreements with American Red Cross, FEMA, and the Salvation Army. The Y2K issue has made many communities aware of the need to update and, in some cases, start a disaster plan in their community. Downsizing, funding cutbacks, and lack of recent disasters in their areas have put their plans on the back burner. While we wish no community to experience a disaster or need to implement their disaster response plan, having one in place makes response much quicker and more organized.
Some of our provinces have voluntary organizations active in disaster chapters in place; others are in the process of forming such as organization. These chapters provide a forum where the groups and agencies responding to disasters can meet and share what their group has to offer to the disaster. Meeting in this way is much more beneficial than meeting on a disaster site.
Mennonite Disaster Service workers are volunteers who serve without pay. MDS continues to average over 3,000 volunteers a year. Volunteers work for a day, a week, a month, or longer. While many of our people are taking time off work or using holidays to help out at disaster sites, one of the most important things they can do for the homeowner is sit and listen while they tell their story of how they survived.
We remind our volunteers to be sensitive at disaster sites and respect personal property and rights of ownership. They are instructed to check with the homeowner before throwing out things and to treat the disaster victims as equals. Also, volunteers need to remember that in many cases it is easier to give than to receive.
In most cases, the MDS network will not provide resources for the purchase of building materials, anticipating these will come from other sources. MDS requires no fees for the services provided. Assistance from other agencies for food and housing of volunteer support is usually welcome.
There are many tensions during the time of rebuilding following a disaster. The length of time it takes for casework and the home-approval loans to be processed, along with the onset of winter, heighten the stress level. Following the Manitoba flood, MDS was able to provide some finances to homeowners until their funding had come through.
In an attempt to increase mitigation activities, MDS recently began to implement the safe room program. A safe room is built by reinforcing the structure of the bathroom to be an area of safety and security able to withstand high winds. The walls of the safe room are made of double layers of plywood and steel. At present, we are building safe rooms in Oklahoma and plan to extend this program to other MDS tornado and hurricane response projects. A safe room provides physical protection and aids in the mental health of storm survivors by giving them a sense of security, knowing there is a safe place to take shelter.
While most of our work is in cleanup and rebuilding, Mennonite Disaster Service also responds to other disasters. Currently, our Ontario unit is sending aid to American farmers in the East Coast states, where drought is forcing them to use hay now that would normally be used for the winter feeding.
MDS is looking forward to the year 2000. It will mark 50 years of responding to disasters at a reunion to be held in Hesston, Kansas from June 1 to 4. It was in Hesston, 50 years ago, that two Sunday School classes met to discuss how they could serve others. Living in "Tornado Ally," they often saw neighbours in need. The resulting organization led to today's Mennonite Disaster Service. MDS is now a separately incorporated non-profit organization administered by a small staff.
The Chairman: Thank you for your presentation.
With regard to cleaning up, repairing, and rebuilding homes, no matter what the disaster, do you have recommendations for what should be done to lessen the impact of disasters on individuals and families?
Mr. Wagler: It would be helpful if there was a uniform response in the provinces across Canada. In my experience, however, each disaster is different; what works in one may not work in another.
As I mentioned, there is a lot of tension in the rebuilding phase until there is funding for the homeowner to start. In Manitoba, for example, the changing seasons can cause problems with rebuilding.
The Chairman: You are speaking of the approval process?
Mr. Wagler: Yes, it would be helpful if the approval process could be shortened.
The Chairman: Although it occurred eventually, approval did take a long time, and that caused a great deal of distress. Shortening the response time would be an improvement.
I am sure that the emergency measures organizations of the provinces get together in order to determine how to better handle things. Do you see an evolution of better coordination of response by provinces? Do you see them working together to bring about a better response, or is it still dealt with in isolation, province by province?
Mr. Wagler: It would be beneficial for all the emergency measures organizations to get together before a disaster happens in order to know what resources are available. During the ice storm, for example, there was some confusion about what groups and resources were available. There should be a more coordinated response.
The Chairman: With the flood in Manitoba, there was time for that kind of planning. With a tornado or an ice storm, there is no time. Therefore, the plan should always be in place. We hear that, in the aftermath of the ice storm, this is happening. If our committee is granted permission to travel, we hope to find verification that measures have been improved such that when a disaster strikes the plan will fall into place and move along as it should.
You spoke of constructing tornado-proof bathrooms in tornado-prone zones. I would have thought that that would have been done long ago. In the end, we must look to ourselves for help.
Senator Cook: The safe room concept is an excellent one. In a tornado, people are encouraged to go to a basement, but everyone needs a bathroom. Therefore, the concept of a bathroom as a safe room could be put into the building code.
Do you have funding for travel by your volunteers?
Mr. Wagler: We do pay the travel and housing expenses of our volunteers.
The Chairman: Thank you very much, Mr. Wagler. We appreciate your presentation this morning. We look forward to seeing some of the work that you have done if and when we travel.
The committee adjourned.