After a disaster strikes, people want to help. There is typically no shortage of people that line up to volunteer or that want to donate money or goods to help out their neighbors. Many times they do not even need to be considered neighbors for people who want to lend a hand and support will come from across the country. Even with all of this good nature and goodwill between citizens, there are some drawbacks.
It is estimated that up to 60% of physical goods donated to disaster relief are eventually discarded. Food items that are expired, clothes that are dirty or worn out, or items that do not have proper storage are frequently re-donated or disposed of in the wake of a disaster. Town halls, churches, school gyms, libraries, private stores, etc. are the types of building being used for small town disaster relief. These facilities and the volunteers that staff them, typically do not have the resources or space to be accepting truckload after truckload of donations. They quickly get overwhelmed and this is what is called "the disaster within the disaster".
Communities that are already overwhelmed and devastated now have to deal with a logistical nightmare. Overwhelming amounts physical donations can inundate the sites and it it now the volunteers job to sort, organize, and handle the goods. If communications are available, they become the point person for people asking if they can bring their load of goods to them, because they want to help. Volunteers have a hard time turning away what is to others a good deed, but in the end it takes away from the volunteers ability to serve their local community in the most effective way possible.
The problem is, people who want to donate physical goods usually have no way to know what is needed and where. They may not plugged in to the local social media or follow local news. Sometimes they just load up a truck and drive to the area and find the first relief site they see. This is what we want to solve a Civica. A central place where everyone can see exactly what is needed and where.
