What can volunteers do during flooding or a water crisis?

Thema:
Safe society

Volunteer assistance can be essential during times of flooding and water crises. But how can this be effectively deployed? The new Handbook for First Aid in Crisis provides useful tips for water authorities: from communication and expertise to aftercare, and from available materials to the coordination of all assistance.

Most citizens, farmers, and businesses are self-reliant and eager to help during a crisis. By properly organising all offered assistance, the need from the community is acknowledged, and this help can indeed contribute to addressing the crisis. The handbook was commissioned by Hoogheemraadschap de Stichtse Rijnlanden and prepared by TNO, with the help of Hoogheemraadschap Hollands Noorderkwartier and sponsorship from the Interreg programme Flash Flood Breaker.

Handbook for First Aid in Water Crisis

View the handbook via the link below (In Dutch only)

Download link -> View Handbook for First Aid in Water Crisis (pdf) (opens in a new window) (pdf)

The handbook was created through numerous interviews, discussions, and workshops and serves as inspiration. The Handbook for First Aid in Water Crisis was presented and explained at the national Network Day Water Crises on 6 February.

Increasing cooperation and assistance

Assistance from third parties is a growing trend in the safety domain. People like to help combat incidents or disturbances in their area. According to a study by the Netherlands Institute for Physical Safety (NIFV), 98% of residents are willing to provide assistance during a crisis.

However, this volunteer help, well-intentioned as it may be, must be well-coordinated so that everyone knows how to contribute safely and effectively. Concrete guidelines and good coordination are needed for this.

Operational action perspective

Water authorities work with partners such as TNO to involve more parties in various ways in different crisis situations. However, operational guidelines for maximum benefit and minimal disadvantage in practice are often lacking. This handbook is a practical tool: it includes information on five categories of volunteer assistance and various examples of disturbance or crisis situations.