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Disaster Relief and Recovery (#23490) Spring 2015 MGMT E-5095: DISASTER RELIEF AND RECOVERY (#23490) ARNOLD M. HOWITT, PH.D. Executive Director, Ash Center for [email protected] Democratic Governance and Innovation Phone: (617) 495-4571 Faculty Co-Director, Program on Crisis Leadership John F. Kennedy School of Government Harvard University DAVID W. GILES, M.A., Teaching Fellow Associate Director, Program on Crisis [email protected] Leadership Phone: (617) 496-4165 John F. Kennedy School of Government Harvard University Management E-5095: Disaster Relief and Recovery focuses on both the management of immediate post-disaster humanitarian assistance – shelter, food, medical care, restoration of critical public services and basic economic activity—and the dynamics of longer-term com- munity recovery in the aftermath of major disasters. To provide a broad perspective, the course looks at spe- Management E-5095 and E-5090 cific disaster and recovery situations both in the United This course covers related but very dif- States and in other countries. Among our US examples, ferent material from another course we will pay special attention to Hurricane Sandy in that Dr. Howitt teaches – Management New Jersey and New York in 2012, Hurricane Katrina E-5090: Crisis Management and in New Orleans in 2005, and reconstruction of the Emergency Preparedness. World Trade Center site in New York City since 2001. Students who have taken E-5090 will But we will also focus intensively on international ex- find virtually no overlap in content or amples, studying the Ebola epidemic in Africa in 2014; subject matter in E-5095. Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines in 2013; the massive These courses are complementary, and Tohoku earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear accident in there is no natural order in which they Japan in 2011; the wide-spread floods that struck should be taken. Thus, Disaster Relief Pakistan in 2010 and 2011; the devastating earthquake and Recovery could be taken either in Haiti in 2010; the Wenchuan earthquake in China in before or after Crisis Management and 2008; and the Indian Ocean tsunami that struck Emergency Preparedness. Indonesia and other countries in 2004. When catastrophes occur – whether natural disasters, failures of critical technology systems, dis- ease, or terrorism – society must respond to the needs of individuals, families, and communities whose lives have been severely disrupted. In television reports, news articles, video clips, and posts to social media, we see graphic portrayals of the suffering that such disasters create; but MGMT E-5095: DISASTER RELIEF AND RECOVERY – Spring 2015 Page 2 these accounts often fail to give us a robust picture of the dilemmas that communities, respon- ders, and international aid organizations face in carrying out rescues and providing assistance to those affected. Even less often do we get more than a glimpse of how in ensuing weeks, months, and years, an affected city or region seeks to recover – or fails to rebound – from the physical damage, social and economic disruption, and demoralization of a catastrophe. What are the core problems inherent wherever disasters strike, as well as the factors that make recovery different from one social/economic/political setting to another? Effectively coping with relief and recovery challenges is not exclusively a post-disaster task, however. Society must take steps in advance of a catastrophic event to be prepared to provide relief rapidly and make recovery as speedy and complete as possible. That is a key part of what creates community resilience. And it suggests the importance of preparatory adaptations to the looming threat of climate-change. From a process point of view, the course is concerned with action and inaction at the local level where the disaster has occurred, the efforts of the state/province/prefecture and national government to provide aid, and the role, if any, of the international community (governments, NGOs, and international organizations such as UN agencies). We deal with the substantive issues of disaster relief and recovery, as well as the political relationships and coordination difficulties between local and central government authorities and between these governments and international organizations. Although we will look very closely at a number of specific disaster situations, our main purpose is analytic, not descriptive. Throughout the course, we will not only try to understand what has happened in the specific examples we read about but also to put them in a larger strategic and managerial perspective. From this vantage point, we will seek to identify the skills and systems that must be deployed in response to disaster; consider how to set a course of action, mobilize and coordinate resources, and rally support; and – quite importantly – ask how organizations can effectively prepare in advance for such events. COURSE FORMAT – “LIVE” AND “DISTANCE LEARNING” OPTIONS The course will meet “live” once a week on Mondays from 5:30 to 7:30 PM on the Harvard campus in Room 306 at 1 Story St. (See the course schedule, which follows in the syllabus, for the full sequence of “live” class topics and dates.) The course will also be available both as a real-time internet feed and on a recorded video basis as part of the Extension School’s Distance Education Program. Class sessions will mix lecture and discussion, with an emphasis on the latter. Many sessions will involve analysis of a case study, but other assigned readings will also be discussed. I will have plenty to say but will rarely lecture for an entire class. Instead, I prefer to run most class sessions as discussions with lots of participation. Comment, disagreement, participant-to-partici- pant discussion are all “in bounds” and will make our time together more productive and livelier. Through the Extension School’s Distance Education Program (please see the distance education website for program details: http://www.extension.harvard.edu/distanceed), the classes at Harvard each week are recorded and made available to all registered students via the internet. Some students (including many who live far away from the Harvard campus) will thus be taking the course exclusively online, via real-time streaming video, or through recorded class sessions posted on the web a few days after a class occurs “live” in the classroom. If distance students view the real-time streaming video, they will also be able to participate in an online “chat room” MGMT E-5095: DISASTER RELIEF AND RECOVERY – Spring 2015 Page 3 with other distance students, which will be moderated by the course teaching fellow. Students can access the chat room through the course website. Note that when class session videos are posted to the course website (generally 24-48 hours after the live class), they will be available to both “distance” and “in class” students throughout the semester. So a student who normally attends classes “live” will be able to view a session that s/he has missed. Only students officially registered for the course will be able to access the video postings. COURSE WEBSITE The course website should prove a valuable asset whether you are taking the course “live” or over the internet. The website will put in one electronic place a number of resources: videos of class sessions, the syllabus, information about the instructor and the course, class PowerPoint slides, assignments, discussion bulletin boards to communicate with classmates, etc. New material will appear regularly. Only registered students will be able to get access to the “inner” pages of the website. You will need to log in with a PIN provided by the Extension School when you register for the course. The URL for the course website is https://canvas.harvard.edu/courses/1773. PROGRAM ON CRISIS LEADERSHIP WEBSITE Howitt and Giles are Faculty Co-Director and Associate Director, respectively, of Harvard Kennedy School’s Program on Crisis Leadership (PCL). PCL’s website contains a wide range of publications – many of which can be downloaded at no cost – as well as a listing of case studies on emergency management. The website also announces term-time PCL events that students located in the Harvard area are welcome to attend. See http://www.hks.harvard.edu/programs/crisisleadership STUDENT INFORMATION To give me a better idea of your prior educational background, work experience, and personal objectives, please e-mail a RESUME and COVER LETTER telling me why you are taking the course. (My e-mail address is on the front of the syllabus.) This information helps me better target what I am doing in class and get acquainted with you much faster. If you don't have a reasonably up-to-date resume, please don't bother constructing one; just tell me the basic story in your letter. Please make sure that you include your e-mail address and phone number so that I can reach you if necessary. If you are a distance education student, please let me know your location – city, state, country – since otherwise I have no way of knowing where you come from. READING ASSIGNMENTS The syllabus lists required readings and case study assignments for each class session. I expect that you will read the REQUIRED READING assignments before class. Often the syllabus lists several questions to think about while you are doing your reading. In preparing for class, these questions should help you focus on key points and prepare for class participation. (I don’t want or expect, however, that you will submit written responses to the discussion questions!) MGMT E-5095: DISASTER RELIEF AND RECOVERY – Spring 2015 Page 4 Sometimes class sessions will discuss the required readings, particularly the case studies, and discussion questions directly; at other times some required readings will be mentioned briefly in class or not at all. However, I regard all required readings as important and will hold you responsible for their content in written assignments.
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