Lesson Eight: Reports and Documentation OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the actions taken during a riverine flood event

Supporting Objectives Conduct a debriefing session Describe how post-flood evaluations, reports, and meetings contribute to continuous improvement in the planning process 2

Debriefing Sessions Provide feedback on lessons learned Help identify areas for improvement Not used to fix blame 3

Flood Response Activity Debrief In what areas were the options you chose during the activity successful? In what areas could you have improved? How?

The Debriefing Process

Identify Areas of Success Start on a positive note Validate methods that work Identify reasons for success Provide positive reinforcement 6

Identify Areas for Improvement Seek suggestions to correct problems Continue to provide positive reinforcement Do not fix blame Document the findings 7

Capture the Information Keep a written record of key ideas Consider using stenographers or court reporters Collect all notes and reports Collate information for the incident record 8

Share information with all involved Formal Critiques Share information with all involved 9

Final Report Compiles the recorded information Becomes part of the response record Highlights common areas and suggestions 10

Using After-Action Reports to Improve the Plan Rank areas or functions for improvement Evaluate all information Ensure the flood plan meets needs 11

Response Data Collect hard data on the response effort Preserve it for future use Save all collected data for review and evaluation 12

Examples of Response Data Purchase orders and supply requests Man-hour estimates Financial data and damage estimates Legal documents Disaster declarations Weather reports and bulletins Damage reports Evacuation and re-entry data 13

Flood Data Surveys Photographs and video Invoices Legal documents Information from private sources 14

Planned vs. Actual Response Compare the plan with actions taken Evaluate the plan Make revisions 15

Lesson Summary The plan is a living document It must be continually reviewed Update the plan using after-action reports 16

How do invoices from the flood event help with the revision of the flood plan? 17

to revise the flood plan? How are surveys used to revise the flood plan?

How are photographs and videos important to the revision of the flood plan?