Updates

EAI/Disaster Help Network A Comprehensive Public Response System Matching Helping Hands with Those in Need

When disaster strikes citizens are often faced with the disruption of utilities and services. Medical facilities can become inaccessible and medical care unobtainable. Schools can become shelters, retail outlets can be lost, and highways are often impassable. In response to these situations, hundreds—sometimes thousands of volunteers come forward, eager to help. Donations are given; public and private corporations offer reconstruction help and equipment leasing. The EAI/Disaster Help Network system was created to help communities coordinate volunteers and donations and deploy these resources effectively across multiple jurisdictions during special event planning and emergency preparedness and response.

The EAI/Disaster Help Network system is designed to recruit and manage resources and needs for disaster prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery and to network multiple agencies and jurisdictions. By registering and processing community volunteers, donations and assistance requests, the EAI/Disaster Help Network’s centralized database of expertise and support provides the documentation for a comprehensive public response system. During the 2004 hurricane season, the EAI/Disaster Help Network system was the sole-technology provider for Florida and Alabama to provide a State-wide, deployed and integrated volunteer, donor and public assistance system. The system’s Web portal was the sole resource for thousands of citizens involved in this response, including those needing assistance. In April, 2005, the system supported the Union County, New Jersey Health Department with TopOff 3. Consequently, the DHN is the most “time-tested” system in the United States for volunteer registry and management.

The EAI/Disaster Help Network system provides:

  • Compliance with National Protocols (HAN, CAP, HRSA, NIMS, etc.). This country’s only system to integrate volunteer, donation and direct assistance databases across community boundaries as outlined by the National Response Plan. The EAI/Disaster Help Network system is currently under development to meet all Emergency Systems for Advance Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals Program (ESAR-VHP).
  • Automatic Database Networking. Agencies are able to quickly share volunteers and reconcile diverse attribute sets (like medical skills) automatically.
  • Multi-Function Components. Volunteerism, donation and direct assistance operations are integrated into a user-friendly, single tracking system, expediting aid and reducing training time for new staff.
  • Response Modeling. Customizes the pre-loading of existing response models to include requested agency types and positions/ volunteers by event (including supply and equipment donors).
  • Multi-Site Support. Maintains volunteer position postings across multiple Web sites providing “network-wide inventory management” of volunteers, positions, and schedules.
  • Command Level Architecture. Controls with a secure, “master” database that accesses data across multiple agencies and jurisdictions. Non-master agencies retain content control of their own data/Web site and can block sharing of private information.
  • User Level Security. Locks down data.
  • PC/Internet Redundancy. Only the Disaster Help Network combines multi-site web-based volunteer management tools with synchronized redundant PC-based software for making local backups, or coordinating volunteers at times or locations when the Internet is unavailable.
  • Spontaneous Agency Access. Creates new networked databases “on demand” for adding agencies to activate immediately.
  • On-Demand Customization. Adapts both on-line and paper application processes.

The EAI/Disaster Help Network system provides all the expertise, planning, technology and support to build a comprehensive, cost-effective, volunteer registry and management system. The system is designed to support local, regional and state officials prepare for and respond to an “all-hazard” mass care/surge capacity event.

Visit the EAI/Disaster Help Network website for more information disasterhelp.net, to review compliance data (http://disasterhelp.net/standards), to read individual testimonials (http://disasterhelp.net/testimonials); or call Michelle Buteau, Program Manager at 703.562.4111

Visit EAI Corporation or our parent company GEO-CENTERS, on the worldwide web at www.eaicorp.com and www.geo-centers.com.

Contact: Michele Shecklells Phone: (443) 372-1264 Fax: (410) 671-7241