Improvisation and Flexibility of Faith-based Hurricane Evacuation Shelters A Qualitative Analysis of Organizational Members’ Experiences and Planning R. Tyler Spradley, Elizabeth Spradley, & Larry J. King Stephen F. Austin State University

Hurricane evacuation in us coastal states Impacts Urban and Rural Areas Historically, more attention is given to heavier populated areas The US Coastal States have large areas of rural populations Hurricanes can extend threat and damage beyond the coastline to hundreds of miles inland The scope of hurricane damage is not known beforehand Requires Intra-Organizational Responses Multi-Agency Emergency Response Multi-Organizational Types: Government (at various levels), Businesses, Non-Profits (including faith-based organizations) In General, Less Populated Areas are Less Prepared

Intra-organizational response in small communities using faith-based organizations for shelters This study examines small communities preparation for intra-organizational response in the event of a hurricane. The study is limited in scope to two communities with less than 50K residents in a western coastal state. All churches listed on community hurricane evacuation shelter lists were contacted and leaders were interviewed. Most leaders did not know their respective plans. Out of six churches, two had plans to assist their communities and plans to reliably manage their own facilities. Most churches referred us to the Red Cross or a Red Cross trainer Interviews and materials were collected from those local Red Cross representatives or trainers Shelter Management Handouts, How to Request Food and Water, Planning for Meals, Contacts, Guidelines, Mandates

The Ecology of Faith-based Hurricane evacuation Organizations are grounded in action (Fairhurst & Putnam, 2004) Organizational discourses cohere in specific ecologies as bodies, sites, and objects (Ashcraft, Kuhn & Coleen, 2008) interrelate Embodied knowledge: training, expertise, experience Evacuee bodies: level of care needs Complex and High Risk Sites: crisis events – e.g. Hurricanes, evacuation shelters Objects: tools such as operational forms and checklists, equipment, signage Practices, which are socio-material (Orlikowski, 2008) in nature, can constrain and enable organizations In general, findings demonstrated these sites were loosely concerned with evacuation protocol or procedures Leaders were more concerned about knowing who to call or who they could legally make responsible Leaders lacked embodied knowledge on evacuation shelters, disaster response, and intra-organizational coordination Leaders were more concerned about facility usage and legal protections and resources Leaders lacked a desire to know the content of Red Cross resources or even their own policies on the matter

Lessons learned Rigidity of procedures and policies (i.e. – through the Red Cross) can increase improvisational flexibility by protecting evacuees and volunteers from hazards; avoid creating new crises. When standard operating practices are developed by external organizations like the Red Cross, this standardization provides clear and accessible practices that ensure reliable provision across multiple sites. Documents serve as embodied expertise. Loosely coupled, smaller sized faith-based organizations can be devalued by thinking in the guidelines of standard practices. Small sized organizations may offer the adaptability necessary to adjust spontaneously. While rural response will lack many resources, the lack of resources will leave a wider opportunity for improvisation and flexibility. Training and coordination are central assets. Size of an organization (resource availability) may not equate to volunteers or quality of care, but training and coordination do have positive influence on improvisation and flexibility. Local scaling up of sheltering practices will enhance local intra-organizational coordination. The organizing efforts of a community will greatly increase when it site-specific documents are generated and appropriate level expertise is present in leadership roles. Simulations and tabletop exercises positively impact improvisation and flexibility.

Improvisation and Flexibility of Faith-based Hurricane Evacuation Shelters A Qualitative Analysis of Organizational Members’ Experiences and Planning R. Tyler Spradley, Elizabeth Spradley, & Larry J. King Stephen F. Austin State University