In 2013, Calgary Non-profits Faced a Natural Disaster. Here’s how that helped them prepare for COVID-19.

In day-to-day life, NGOs are stable entities that look after communities. But when it comes to a pandemic like COVID-19, which reaches across borders and within offices, non-profits themselves are just as vulnerable to their immediate and fallout issues as the communities they’re trying to help.

While many in the field are reeling, emergencies have affected non-profits in similar ways in the past — and we can look to a recent example in Canada’s own backyard for learnings that apply to today’s global emergency.

The Calgary flood of 2013

In June 2013, heavy rainfall in the Rocky Mountains caused severe flooding in southern Alberta, leading Calgary to declare a state of emergency and evacuate 80,000 people from the city. Five lives were lost and, in a matter of days, the city sustained approximately $6 billion worth of financial losses and property damage.

“It really was a natural disaster of the first order that disrupted the entire community for weeks, and the after-effects lasted many months,” says David Mitchell, president and CEO of the Calgary Chamber of Voluntary Organizations (CCVO).

The disaster prompted the CCVO and the City of Calgary to ask: just how prepared are community organizations to deal with emergencies? Survey work carried out by the CCVO at the time found that the majority of non-profit organizations didn’t have emergency preparedness plans — so over the next two years, the CCVO and the City of Calgary worked together to create and distribute an emergency preparedness plan for nonprofits, called the Emergency Preparedness Initiative for Calgary (EPIC).

While nothing could fully prepare an organization for an emergency like the COVID-19 outbreak, Mitchell says he’s already seen the benefits of having EPIC in place. Today, the majority of Calgary’s 8,000 nonprofits have emergency preparedness plans in place — with plans for streamlined communication and remote working — that have allowed them to mobilize swiftly and decisively in the face of the pandemic.

Below, Mitchell shares three top lessons from Calgary’s non-profit emergency response that the social impact community should take note of today.

Today, the majority of Calgary’s 8,000 nonprofits have emergency preparedness plans in place.

1. Get clear on where funding is needed most

When it comes to the needs of non-profits, Mitchell understands the competing priorities that come with a global emergency. “The fact that this pandemic has been declared and we’re all working together to fight it doesn’t mean that life doesn’t go on and that urgent situations and needs [that organizations normally address] all of a sudden stop,” he says.

However, it does mean — from both an internal, organizational perspective and a wider community view — that funding and efforts need to be directed to the areas hardest hit by a crisis. At the moment, that means funneling resources towards service delivery.

Alberta addressed this need on Tuesday, when the province declared a state of public health emergency and put $60 million in emergency funding towards non-profits to assist with their COVID-19 response. The large majority of that funding will go towards homeless shelters, women’s emergency shelters, and community support services, who are serving the people most vulnerable to COVID-19 concerns.

“The non-profits that are the most vulnerable in Calgary are those that have pressing needs,” says Mitchell. “They aren’t the groups that are either doing research or can engage in activities that can be effective remotely.”

2. Communicate a centralized message

While both governments and non-profits can (and should) be directing resources where they’re needed most, they also need to communicate clearly to the public where, how, and why support is needed.

In 2013, the devastation wreaked on Calgary was clearly visible, and donors came together en masse to help rebuild. In a situation like COVID-19, however, the crisis is largely hidden behind hospital walls and hasn’t attracted the same influx of donations.

“The pandemic is very different, because it’s largely invisible — you don’t see the physical, dramatic effects in the community,” says Mitchell. “There’s confusion about where donors can contribute, how to contribute, and where contributions have the most impact in the community. There needs to be some clarity on that.”

Until funding needs are clarified, it’s difficult for anyone to step up and get involved. And communicating that message effectively means community foundations, non-profits, governments, and individuals need to work together.

“The pandemic is very different, because it’s largely invisible — you don’t see the physical, dramatic effects in the community.”

“As it becomes clear what governments are able to do and what they can’t, then the door becomes open for individual donors and organizations to assist,” Mitchell says. “We’re working hard to see if we can play a small role to provide more and better information, so that the community response can include donors and the philanthropic component.”

3. Build community & look ahead

Dealing with the 2013 flood in Calgary helped ready the city’s non-profits for the COVID-19 pandemic, and Mitchell urges non-profits across the country to learn even more from this emergency.

“This could be seen, in some respects, as part of the new normal,” Mitchell says. In the near future, Canada stands poised to face everything from natural disasters caused by climate change to health-related crises to food security issues — and the hard lessons learned today will help shape responses tomorrow.

“I think communities across the country can consciously and mindfully try to develop not only the idea, but the reality, that we’re all in this together,” Mitchell says. “We are connected and we can only work effectively by working together.”

Our team is working around the clock to deliver insightful stories, analysis, and commentary on the effects of COVID-19 on the social impact world. If you like our content, please consider becoming a member. Start a 14-day free trial now.

Tell us this made you smarter | Contact us | Report error