Chapter 12, The Five Steps of the First Hours¶
Part III, ACTING: WITH OUR OWN MEANS
You are a leader. You have handled professional crises, medical emergencies, projects under pressure. But a natural disaster is not an ordinary crisis. The first hours decide everything: the effectiveness of the response, the survival of the most vulnerable, and, let's be direct, your club's credibility for the months to come.
This chapter gives you a five-step sequence, field-tested, that you can execute even if your preparedness plan is still in a drawer. Five steps. In order. Without skipping a single one.
Overview, the five steps¶
| # | Step | Objective | Timeframe |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Personal safety | Stay alive. Secure members and their families before helping anyone else. | H+0 to H+2 |
| 2 | Communication | Activate the call-down list, locate every member, send the first message to the district. | H+2 to H+4 |
| 3 | Rapid assessment | Deploy a team of 2 to 4 people to answer the 8 key questions. | H+4 |
| 4 | Alert the District | Send a structured SITREP to the DG, the DRO and the DRFC to activate the Rotary network. | H+4 |
| 5 | Mobilization | Activate the club's emergency plan, form teams, launch the first actions. | H+4 to H+12 |
By H+12, you have located every member, given the district a quantified assessment, set up your teams and triggered the first expenses. Chapters 13 to 17 take over for the first 72 hours and beyond. Read the whole sequence first, then come back to the step that matches your situation.
Step 1, Personal safety (absolute priority)¶
Before helping anyone, stay alive.
This is not selfishness, it is arithmetic: an injured or missing leader coordinates nothing. They become a burden on others. Every Rotarian you lose in action reduces your response capacity.
Immediate actions¶
-
Secure yourself physically. Stay away from any unstable structure, any downed power line, any flood-prone area. If you are in a vehicle, never cross a submerged road, 30 cm of water is enough to sweep away an SUV.
-
Secure your family. Make sure your spouse, children, elderly parents are safe. Activate your own family plan. If your family is not safe, you will not be mentally available to lead anything.
-
Assess your immediate environment. Look around you. Note what you see: collapsed structures, fires, visibly injured people, gas smells, sound of water. These first observations will become your first report.
-
Do not rush. The reflex to run toward the rubble to help is human. It is also potentially fatal. Seismic aftershocks, secondary collapses, gas leaks kill those who act without assessing. Wait for the situation to stabilize, even five minutes.
The oxygen mask rule¶
As on a plane: put on your own mask before helping others. You know this instruction. Apply it literally.
| Situation | Correct action | Frequent mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Earthquake in progress | Take cover under a solid table, wait for shaking to end | Running outside during the shaking |
| Rising flood | Move to higher ground immediately | Trying to save material goods |
| Hurricane / cyclone | Stay in shelter until the storm passes completely (including the eye) | Going out during the calm of the eye of the cyclone |
| Landslide | Move perpendicular to the flow | Trying to flee along the axis of the flow |
| Structural fire | Evacuate and call emergency services | Trying to put out a large fire alone |
Critical point: Your phone is your most valuable tool. Keep it charged. If you have a portable charger, carry it with you at all times during risk season.
Step 2, Communication (as soon as possible)¶
The first mission of a Rotarian leader after their own safety: establish contact.
Networks will be saturated. Calls will not go through. Antennas may be destroyed. You must anticipate this and know the alternatives.
Activate the call-down list¶
The call-down list is the simplest and most reliable communication tool in existence. Its principle:
Club President
|
+-- Vice-president → calls 5 members (numbers 1 to 5)
| each confirms their status
|
+-- Secretary → calls 5 members (numbers 6 to 10)
| each confirms their status
|
+-- Treasurer → calls 5 members (numbers 11 to 15)
| each confirms their status
|
+-- Disaster Coordinator → calls 5 members (16 to 20)
| each confirms their status
|
+-- Past-president → calls the remaining members
each confirms their status
Each caller asks three questions:
- Are you and your family safe?
- Do you have damage to your home or workplace?
- Are you available to participate in the response?
Each caller compiles the responses and reports the information back to the President within 60 minutes maximum.
Hierarchy of communication means¶
When one channel does not work, move to the next. In order:
| Priority | Channel | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMS / text message | Gets through even when voice networks are saturated |
| 2 | WhatsApp / Signal (text) | Works at low bandwidth, messages queue up |
| 3 | Phone call | Often saturated in the first hours |
| 4 | Amateur radio (VHF/UHF) | Independent of cellular networks |
| 5 | Satellite internet (Starlink) | Restores full internet if you have power |
| 6 | Satellite phone | Voice and SMS for areas with no coverage at all |
| 7 | Physical messenger | Last resort, send someone |
The standard initial alert message¶
Your first message to members must be short, factual, and give clear instructions. No place for emotion.
Template (SMS / WhatsApp):
[ROTARY ALERT – CLUB NAME]
[Type of event] at [location]
Date/Time: [date and time]
Initial status: [estimated severity]
ACTION: Confirm your status via call-down list.
If available for the response, confirm to [name + number].
Assembly point: [location] at [time].
Next message in 2 hours.
Practical tip: Prepare this message in advance, with blank fields to fill in. Store it in your phone notes. When disaster strikes, you just have to fill in the blanks and send.
Step 3, Rapid assessment (deploy a team of 2 to 4 people)¶
Acting without assessment leads to waste and duplication. Four hours of assessment save weeks of misdirected effort.
You know the rule in business: you do not launch a project without a diagnosis. It is identical in a disaster, but the diagnosis must be done in 4 hours, not 4 weeks.
Build the assessment team¶
| Role | Ideal profile | Mission |
|---|---|---|
| Assessment lead | Experienced member, synthesizing mindset | Coordinates, takes notes, drafts the report |
| Documentarian | Member with good smartphone or camera | Geolocated photos, short videos, timestamps |
| Field logistician | Member with all-terrain vehicle if needed | Drives, assesses road accessibility |
| Specialist (optional) | Civil engineer, doctor, or relevant professional | Technical assessment of structures or health needs |
Team equipment:
- Phone charged to 100% + portable charger
- Paper map of the area (GPS may not work)
- Notebook and pens (do not rely only on electronics)
- High-visibility vests (identification and safety)
- Water and food for 8 hours
- First aid kit
- Headlamp (for nighttime assessment)
- Copy of the rapid assessment form (see below)
Assessment itinerary¶
The team must not leave at random. Define an itinerary that covers:
- The most densely populated areas of your sector
- Areas known to be vulnerable (informal settlements, flood zones, old buildings)
- Critical infrastructure: hospital, health center, school, market, water pumping station
- Main road corridors: are they passable? Are any bridges cut off?
The 8 questions to answer in 4 hours¶
Your assessment team must return with factual answers, even partial, to these eight questions. No opinion, no supposition. Facts.
| # | Area | Key question | What you are looking for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Population | How many people affected? Displaced? Injured? Missing? | Estimated figures, even rough. Count destroyed houses × average household size. |
| 2 | Shelter | How many homes destroyed or uninhabitable? Is there a need for temporary shelters? | Visual count. Distinguish destroyed (unrecoverable) from damaged (repairable). |
| 3 | Water | Is the water supply cut off or contaminated? | Check taps, interview residents, observe pipes. |
| 4 | Food | Do people have access to food? For how many days? | Are shops open? Are household stocks intact? |
| 5 | Health | Are hospitals and care centers operational? | Go on site if possible. Residual capacity? Need for reinforcement? |
| 6 | Infrastructure | Roads passable? Electricity? Telecommunications? | Note every cut road, every area without power, every area without network. |
| 7 | Security | Are there secondary risks? | Expected aftershocks, rising waters, landslides, gas leaks, unstable structures. |
| 8 | Vulnerable | Isolated elderly? Unaccompanied children? Persons with disabilities? | Interview neighbors. Vulnerable persons are often invisible. |
Field collection methodology¶
Rapid damage count (transect method):
Walk through your area in parallel lines. For each street or neighborhood, count: - Number of intact / damaged / destroyed buildings - Number of visibly homeless people - Presence or absence of running water, electricity - Road condition (passable / hardly passable / cut off)
Interviewing residents (5 minutes per group):
Do not ask open questions. Ask closed questions: - "Since when have you been without water?" - "How many families have gathered here?" - "Are there injured people who were not able to get to the hospital?" - "Do you know any isolated elderly people in this neighborhood?"
Rapid assessment report, Form to fill out¶
This form is your main deliverable. It will be forwarded to the club President, then to the District. It must be filled out by hand in the field, then digitized and sent.
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
RAPID ASSESSMENT REPORT — ROTARY CLUB
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Club: _____________________________________________
District: __________________________________________
Date: ___/___/______ Start time: _____ End time: _____
Type of event: __________________________________
Area assessed: ______________________________________
Assessment team:
Lead: _________________ Phone: _______________
Member 2: ___________________ Phone: _______________
Member 3: ___________________ Phone: _______________
Member 4: ___________________ Phone: _______________
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
1. AFFECTED POPULATION
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Estimated persons affected: ________
Estimated persons displaced: ________
Known injured: ________
Confirmed deaths: ________
Missing / unreachable persons: ________
2. HOUSING
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Homes destroyed (unrecoverable): ________
Homes damaged (repairable): ________
Intact homes: ________
Need for temporary shelter: YES / NO
If yes, for how many people: ________
3. DRINKING WATER
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Water network functional: YES / NO / PARTIAL
Contamination risk: YES / NO / UNKNOWN
Alternative sources available: _____________________
Estimated water need (liters/day): ________
4. FOOD
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Access to food: NORMAL / LIMITED / CUT OFF
Shops open: YES / SOME / NO
Estimated stock (days): ________
5. HEALTH
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Nearest hospital operational: YES / NO / OVERWHELMED
Health center operational: YES / NO / OVERWHELMED
Unmet medical needs: ________________________
___________________________________________________
6. INFRASTRUCTURE
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Electricity: YES / NO / PARTIAL
Telecommunications: YES / NO / PARTIAL
Main roads: PASSABLE / PARTIALLY / CUT OFF
Roads cut off (list): _____________________________
___________________________________________________
7. SECONDARY RISKS
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
☐ Expected seismic aftershocks
☐ Rising waters / new flooding
☐ Landslides
☐ Unstable structures threatening to collapse
☐ Gas leaks or hazardous materials
☐ Power lines on the ground
☐ Other: ________________________________________
8. VULNERABLE PERSONS IDENTIFIED
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Isolated elderly: ________
Unaccompanied children: ________
Persons with disabilities: ________
Pregnant / breastfeeding women: ________
Chronically ill without medication: ________
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
IMMEDIATE NEEDS (in order of priority)
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
1. ___________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________________
4. ___________________________________________________
5. ___________________________________________________
72-HOUR NEEDS
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
1. ___________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________________
LOCAL RESOURCES AVAILABLE
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
RECOMMENDED DISTRIBUTION POINTS
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Site 1: _________________ Capacity: _______ pers/day
Site 2: _________________ Capacity: _______ pers/day
RECOMMENDATION: SUGGESTED ACTIVATION LEVEL
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
☐ DCA-3 (manageable situation, club + committee in standby, no external support needed)
☐ DCA-2 (district support needed, committee activated)
☐ DCA-1 (major disaster, full operation, national/international support)
Drafted by: _________________ Signature: _______________
Sent to: _________________ Time: __________________
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Step 4, Alert the District¶
You have secured the members. You have a field assessment. It is time to escalate the information.
Rotary operates in layers. Your club is the first link. The District is the second. Without this escalation of information, no external resource can be mobilized, neither Disaster Response Grant, nor ShelterBox, nor inter-district support.
Who to contact and in what order¶
| Priority | Contact | Why | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District Governor (DG) | Decision-making authority. Can activate the DRG. | Within 4 hours |
| 2 | District Disaster Relief Officer (DRO) | District operational coordinator. Your main point of contact. | Within 4 hours |
| 3 | Neighboring clubs | Mutual information, possibility of reinforcement | Within 6 hours |
| 4 | Assistant Governor (AG) of your area | Relay and support | Within 6 hours |
The content of the alert to the District¶
Your message to the DG and DRO must contain exactly these elements:
- Nature of the event (earthquake, flood, cyclone, etc.)
- Affected area (cities, neighborhoods, approximate radius)
- Estimated scale (number of people affected, homes destroyed)
- Club status (members safe? members affected?)
- Actions already undertaken (assessment in progress, distribution started, etc.)
- Needs identified (what the club cannot cover alone)
- Recommended activation level (DCA-1, DCA-2, or DCA-3)
Recommended format: the SITREP (Situation Report)
SITREP No. 1 — Rotary Club of [name]
Date/Time: [date] [time]
Event: [type] — [location]
1. SITUATION
[factual description in 3-5 lines]
2. ESTIMATED IMPACT
Population affected: [number]
Homes destroyed/damaged: [number]
Infrastructure: [summarized status]
3. CLUB STATUS
Members safe: [number] / [total]
Members affected: [number]
Members available for the response: [number]
4. ACTIONS IN PROGRESS
[list of actions undertaken]
5. UNMET NEEDS
[list of needs exceeding the club's capacity]
6. RECOMMENDATION
Activation level: DCA-[1/2/3]
Need for DRG: YES / NO / TO BE ASSESSED
Need for ShelterBox: YES / NO / TO BE ASSESSED
Next SITREP scheduled: [date/time]
Contact: [name] [phone] [email]
District activation levels (DCA)¶
| Level | Situation | Who decides | Resources mobilized |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCA-3 | Normal activity, localized event manageable by the club alone, committee in standby | Club President | Club funds, local volunteers |
| DCA-2 | Significant event, club overwhelmed, committee activated | DG + DRO | DRG, neighboring clubs, district resources |
| DCA-1 | Full-scale relief operation, major disaster exceeding the district | DG + RI | DRG, Global Grant, ShelterBox, DNA-RAG, international support |
Do not minimize. It is better to activate a DCA-2 and downgrade it later than to remain in DCA-3 while facing a real crisis and lose 48 critical hours. Ego has no place in disaster management.
Step 5, Mobilization (activate the club emergency plan)¶
The assessment is done. The District is alerted. It is time to move to operational action.
Activate the club's emergency plan¶
If your club has a preparedness plan (Part II of this book), now is when it serves. If you do not have one, here are the minimum actions:
Immediate mobilization actions:
| Action | Responsible | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Summon available members to the assembly point | President | H+4 |
| Open the club premises or identify a temporary HQ | Vice-president | H+4 |
| Take out the pre-positioned emergency kit (if existing) | Disaster Coordinator | H+4 |
| Form the first response teams | Disaster Coordinator | H+6 |
| Launch the first emergency purchases (water, food) | Treasurer | H+6 |
| Open donation channels if necessary | Treasurer + Secretary | H+8 |
| Send the first public statement | Spokesperson | H+6 |
| Document all actions from the first hour | Secretary | H+0 |
Forming the first teams¶
Do not mobilize everyone for everything. From day one, structure into teams:
| Team | Mission | Minimum headcount |
|---|---|---|
| Assessment and information | Continue data collection, maintain link with District | 2-3 people |
| Immediate relief | Water and food distribution, shelter assistance | 6-10 people |
| Logistics | Purchases, transportation, storage | 3-4 people |
| Communication | Spokesperson, social media, photo documentation | 2 people |
| Administration | Finances, records, coordination | 2-3 people |
Opening donation channels¶
If the scale justifies it, immediately open donation channels:
- Dedicated bank account. Separate from the club's current finances. Two signatures required for any withdrawal.
- Online donation page. Use a recognized platform (GoFundMe, PayPal Giving Fund, or local equivalent).
- Clear communication. Specify precisely what the donations will be used for. "Aid to victims of [event], water, food, emergency shelters."
- Tax receipts. If your club can issue tax receipts, mention it, this significantly increases donations.
Documentation from the first hour¶
This is the point that all clubs neglect and all clubs regret. Documentation is not an administrative end-of-mission task. It starts at H+0.
What you must document:
| What | How | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Each purchase | Receipt + photo | DRG reimbursement, traceability |
| Each distribution | Signed list of beneficiaries | Proof for TRF |
| Each meeting | Notes with date, time, participants, decisions | Operational history |
| Situation on the ground | Geolocated and timestamped photos | Damage assessment, reports |
| Volunteer hours | Attendance register | In-kind valuation (Global Grant) |
| Incidents | Formal incident report | Insurance, legal liability |
Field tip: Designate a "documentarian" from the first hour. This person does nothing else but photograph, take notes, collect receipts. If no one is available, use a dedicated "Documentation" WhatsApp group where each member sends their photos and notes in real time.
Reference timeline: the first 12 hours¶
| Hour | Action | Responsible |
|---|---|---|
| H+0 | Personal and family safety | Each member |
| H+0 to H+1 | Call-down list activation, member status check | President + relays |
| H+1 | Status compilation, identification of available members | Secretary |
| H+1 to H+4 | Deployment of rapid assessment team | Disaster Coordinator |
| H+2 | First alert message to members (SMS/WhatsApp) | President |
| H+4 | Rapid assessment report completed | Assessment team |
| H+4 | Alert to District (DG + DRO) with SITREP No. 1 | President |
| H+4 to H+6 | Summoning of members to the assembly point | President |
| H+6 | Team formation, mission assignment | Disaster Coordinator |
| H+6 | First emergency purchases (water, food) | Treasurer |
| H+6 | First public statement | Spokesperson |
| H+8 | Opening of donation channels if necessary | Treasurer |
| H+8 | Second SITREP to District | President |
| H+12 | First complete operational briefing | Disaster Coordinator |
What this chapter does not cover¶
The five steps take you to H+12. You are organized, informed, in contact with the District, and the first actions are underway. The following chapters cover:
- Chapter 13, Immediate response (0-72 hours): survival priorities
- Chapter 14, Stabilization (72 hours to 2 weeks): ongoing operations
- Chapter 15, Managing volunteers in the field
- Chapter 16, Communication in crisis
- Chapter 17, Psychological support
You have the five steps. Print the reference timeline. Put it in your emergency kit. The day your phone rings at 3 AM, you will know exactly what to do.