Chapter 9, Activate your networks before the disaster¶

The Rotary structural advantage¶

No other volunteer organization has what you have: a table around which the doctor, the contractor, the lawyer, the restaurateur, the engineer, the pharmacist, the farmer and the journalist sit together every week. These professionals did not get there by chance. They know the mayor, the hospital director, the fire brigade commander, the supermarket owner, the Red Cross lead. Often personally.

This network density is your competitive edge in a disaster. But an unformalized advantage is a lost advantage. A member who "knows the hospital director" is of no use if that relationship is not documented, activatable, and known to the Disaster Coordinator.

This chapter deals with formalizing networks, turning personal relationships into a collective response capability.

Mapping local actors: the 5 families¶

Before any disaster, the club must have mapped all the actors present on its territory. Not a phone book, an operational map: who does what, with what resources, and how to reach them.

Family 1, Rescue and emergency¶

These are the professional first responders. Rotary does not replace them, it complements them.

Actor	What they do in a disaster	Contact to establish	What Rotary can bring
Fire department	Emergency rescue, extrication, fire suppression	Brigade commander	Logistics, vehicles, trained volunteers
EMS / Medical emergency	Emergency care, triage, medical transport	Medical director	Doctor, pharmacist members; patient transport
Civil protection	Official coordination, evacuation, shelter	Prefecture / Town Hall (emergency services)	Volunteers, spaces, funding
Red Cross / Red Crescent	Shelters, first aid, water, family-link restoration	Local delegate	Funding, complementary logistics, volunteers
Civil safety associations	Rescue, logistics, psychological support	Local president	Training exchange, joint exercises

These organizations arrive in the hours or days that follow to meet the basic needs of affected populations.

Actor	What they do	Contact to establish
Food aid charities	Food aid, clothing, accommodation	Local branch manager
Food Bank	Bulk food distribution	Regional director
Salvation Army	Food, accommodation, material aid	Local officer
Médecins Sans Frontières / Médecins du Monde	Medical care (large disasters)	National office (rare activation)
Neighborhood / community associations	Ground knowledge, trusted relay	President, solidarity lead
Migrant / diaspora associations	Translation, cultural mediation, network	Community leader

Family 3, Religious communities¶

Often underestimated in response plans, religious communities are nonetheless among the first to mobilize. They have hosting spaces (parish halls, mosques, temples), established solidarity networks, and deep trust with vulnerable populations.

Actor	Typical resources	Contact
Catholic / Protestant parishes	Parish halls, volunteer network, canteen, social network	Priest, pastor, deacon
Mosques	Prayer hall (large capacity), solidarity network, kitchen	Imam, association president
Buddhist / Hindu temples	Quiet spaces for psychological support, community network	Head monk
Synagogues	Solidarity network, community space	Rabbi, community president

Concrete action: Invite a local religious leader to a club meeting once a year. Not to talk about religion, to establish the human contact. On disaster day, they will be an ally, not a stranger.

Family 4, Local authorities and public services¶

Local authorities are the coordinating authority. The Rotary club operates under their supervision in a crisis.

Actor	Role in a disaster	Contact to establish
Town Hall / Commune	Official coordination, opening gymnasiums and halls, emergency housing, requisitioning	Operations director or deputy mayor for security
Departmental / regional council	Financial resources, logistical support, roads	Civil protection department
Prefecture	Emergency plan, departmental coordination	Emergency services head
Water / sanitation services	Network restoration, emergency shutoffs, potability	Technical on-call
Electricity services	Power restoration, safety shutoffs	Utility on-call
Gas services	Emergency shutoffs, leak securing	Utility on-call
Schools / colleges / high schools	Gymnasiums and canteens as emergency shelters	Head of institution + town hall

Family 5, Local economic actors¶

This is where the Rotary network makes the difference. Your members know these actors. Often, they are part of them.

Actor	Mobilizable resources	How to formalize the link
Big box stores / supermarkets	Bottled water, food, hygiene products, tarps	Pre-negotiated emergency donation agreement
Transport companies	Trucks, vans, logistics	Documented verbal agreement or letter of intent
Hotels	Rooms for emergency accommodation (under town hall agreement)	Director contact, hosting capacity noted
Pharmacies	Essential medicines, medical equipment	Emergency supply agreement
Gas stations	Fuel for generators and vehicles	Priority agreement in case of shortage
Construction companies	Heavy equipment, materials, skilled labor	Availability agreement
Printers	Forms, posters, information flyers	Free emergency printing
Food companies	Bulk food	Donation agreement

Formalize ties: from personal relationship to collective capability¶

The problem with informal relationships¶

"I know the fire chief, we play golf together." Very well. But what if you are not available on disaster day? What if you are yourself affected? What if you have left the club? That relationship dies with your departure.

Formalization turns a personal contact into a collective club asset.

How to formalize: 3 levels¶

Level	Method	Effort	Value
1. Documentation	Enter the contact in the club directory with name, role, phone, mobilizable resources	5 minutes	Contact survives member's departure
2. Introduction	Invite the contact to a club meeting. They put a face on "Rotary". The Coordinator takes over the relationship.	1 evening	Contact knows the club, not just one member
3. Agreement	Sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) or letter of intent	A few hours	Formal commitment, activatable in crisis without negotiation

The simplified memorandum of understanding (MOU)¶

An MOU does not need to be a 20-page legal document. For a Rotary club, a one-page letter is enough:

MOU structure for a club: 1. Identification of the parties (Rotary Club of [CITY] and [ORGANIZATION]) 2. Purpose: cooperation in case of natural or technological disaster 3. Club commitments: trained volunteers, complementary funding, logistics 4. Partner commitments: specific resources, participation in drills, information sharing 5. Duration: 1 year, tacitly renewable 6. Operational contacts: 1 name + phone on each side 7. Signatures: Club President + head of the organization

Priority partners for signing an MOU: 1. Local Red Cross / Red Crescent 2. Town Hall (civil safety department) 3. A key economic actor (supermarket or transport company)

Annual actions: the relational calendar¶

Relationships are built over time. An annual calendar of actions ensures that ties are maintained, not just created.

Month	Action	Responsible	Target partner
September	Invite the local Red Cross lead to a club meeting	Disaster Coordinator	Red Cross
October	Take part in the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (October 13, UN), co-organize an event with a partner	Coordinator + Comms	General public + partners
November	Meet the fire brigade commander (station visit or club invitation)	Coordinator	Fire department
January	Invite a town hall official (operations director or deputy mayor for security)	Club President	Local authorities
March	Take part in a municipal or departmental civil protection drill	Coordinator + 2-3 members	Civil protection
April	Renew or sign MOUs with key partners	President + Coordinator	All MOU partners
May	Inter-association local meeting: invite NGOs, associations, religious communities to share preparedness plans	Coordinator	All local actors
June	Annual review of partner relationships. Update of the external contacts directory.	Coordinator	Internal

Principle: One annual visit per key partner. This is not bureaucracy, it is relational investment. The day you call the fire brigade commander at 3 a.m. to ask whether the zone is safe for your volunteers, they will answer because they know you.

The 3W principle: Who does What Where¶

Before launching any action in a disaster, three questions must be asked and documented:

WHO does WHAT on WHICH ZONE?
(Who does What Where)

This principle, drawn from OCHA humanitarian coordination, avoids duplication (two organizations distributing water at the same spot while a whole neighborhood gets nothing) and gaps (no one taking care of isolated elderly).

3W matrix to fill out in the first 24 hours¶

Organization	WHAT (action)	WHERE (zone)	WHEN (period)	Contact
Red Cross	Shelter + first aid	Paul Bert gymnasium, Center	Continuous	[Name, phone]
Town Hall	Accommodation, drinking water	Community hall, North district	Continuous	[Name, phone]
Food aid charity	Food distribution	Supermarket parking lot, South zone	10 a.m.-4 p.m.	[Name, phone]
Rotary Club of [CITY]	Community kitchen + hygiene kit distribution	Jean-Moulin school, East district	7 a.m.-8 p.m.	[Name, phone]
Saint-Peter's parish	Reception of isolated elderly	Parish hall	8 a.m.-10 p.m.	[Name, phone]
GAP IDENTIFIED	Lilas district, no coverage	West zone	,	,

The last line is the most important. That is where Rotary delivers the most value: fill the gaps, do not duplicate what already exists.

Where to get 3W information¶

Source	When	How
Municipal coordination meeting	Daily in acute phase	The club sends a representative
Prefectoral crisis cell	Acute and stabilization phase	Via official channel (often emergency plan)
Direct contact with local NGOs	Permanent	Calls, WhatsApp, field visits
OCHA cluster meeting	Major international disasters	Via DNA-RAG or RI

Know your Rotary contacts: district and RAGs¶

Your club does not operate in a vacuum. The Rotary network itself is a network to activate, and it is considerably more powerful than most clubs imagine.

Essential district contacts¶

Role	What they can do for you	Contact
District Governor (DG)	Activate the district response, coordinate neighboring clubs, validate DRGs	Phone: _______
DRO (District Disaster Relief Officer)	Coordinate the operational response at district level, ensure club-RI liaison	Phone: _______
DRFC (District Rotary Foundation Committee Chair)	Facilitate grant requests (DRG, Global Grants), manage DDF funds	Phone: _______
District disaster committee chair	Coordinate inter-club resources, organize trainings	Phone: _______
Neighboring clubs, Disaster Coordinators	Human and material reinforcement, logistics relay	Phone: _______

RAGs relevant for disasters¶

Rotary Action Groups (RAGs) are global networks of expert Rotarians in a given field. In a disaster, they provide technical expertise, connections and mentorship.

RAG	Field	When to activate	Contact
DNA-RAG (Disaster Network of Assistance)	General disaster coordination, training, tools	Any disaster	dna-rag.com
WASH-RAG (Water, Sanitation & Hygiene)	Drinking water, sanitation, hygiene	Water/sanitation need	wash-rag.org
ShelterBox	Emergency shelters (tents, kits)	Emergency housing need	shelterbox.org
Disaster Aid	Survival kits, immediate response	Acute phase	disasteraid.org
RAGFP (Rotary Action Group for Peace)	Mediation, conflict zones	Disasters in conflict zones	rotaryactiongroupforpeace.org

Concrete action: The club's Disaster Coordinator must have the direct contact details of the DRO and the regional DNA-RAG contact in their phone. Not in a file somewhere, in their phone contacts, ready to be dialed.

Mapping exercise: 4-step method¶

For clubs starting from scratch, here is the method to map local actors in one quarter.

Step 1, Internal inventory (1 club meeting)¶

Ask each member: "Which organizations in your territory do you know personally, through your professional activity or your commitments?"

Compile the answers in a simple table:

Member	Known organization	Personal contact	Potential resources

Step 2, Classification (Coordinator's work, 2 hours)¶

Classify each organization in one of the 5 families. Identify the families where you have gaps. Prioritize families 1 (emergency) and 4 (authorities) if they are incomplete.

Step 3, Making contact (2-3 months)¶

For each actor identified: 1. The member who knows the organization makes the first contact 2. They present the club's disaster preparedness project 3. They propose a meeting or a club invitation 4. The Coordinator attends the meeting to establish the institutional link

Step 4, Formalization (ongoing)¶

For each established contact: 1. Document in the external contacts directory (level 1) 2. Invite to the club (level 2) 3. Propose an MOU if relevant (level 3)

Pitfalls to avoid¶

Pitfall	Consequence	Solution
Relying on a single member for a key contact	Contact lost if the member is absent or leaves the club	Introduce the contact to the Coordinator AND the President, triangulation
Mapping without maintaining	Obsolete contacts within 12 months	Annual meetings calendar
Ignoring informal actors (religious communities, neighborhood associations)	Loss of community trust, gaps in coverage	Systematically include family 3
Trying to do everything yourself	Duplication, exhaustion, tensions with other organizations	Systematic 3W: fill gaps, do not duplicate
Arriving on disaster day without being known by partners	Rejection, mistrust, wasted time	At least one annual meeting with each key partner
Promising capabilities the club cannot deliver	Disappointment, lasting loss of credibility	Only formalize what you can actually mobilize

Annual checklist, Networks and partnerships¶

To be completed between July and September of each Rotary year:

Your members already know the right people. Your job is not to create a network, it is to make visible and activatable a network that already exists around your table every week. Mapping and formalization are not administrative exercises. They are the gestures that turn 30 individual address books into a collective response capability.