SOP-DR-011Disaster Relief and Recovery

Purpose and Scope

This Standard Operating Procedure ensures that Heaven Sent disaster relief and recovery activities are coordinated, trauma-informed, and compliant with expectations from local emergency management, VOAD/COADs, FEMA, VA, HUD, and other agencies.

SOP-DR-011 applies to all deployments, whether local (Central Florida), regional (Southeast), or national (lower 48 states), including single-team responses and large-scale multi-week missions.

Alignment and References

Heaven Sent aligns its disaster operations with National VOAD Disaster Case Management Guidelines and state and local unmet needs coalition SOPs, such as the Florida Local Unmet Needs Coalition guidance.

The organization also honors local and state emergency management plans, VOAD/COAD coordination norms, and faith-based preparedness guidance from state EM and DHS faith and neighborhood partnerships.

Core Principles

Heaven Sent disaster operations are guided by dignity, compassion, integrity, faith, and accountability in all interactions with survivors, partners, and donors, especially veterans, seniors, disabled neighbors, and people experiencing homelessness.

The organization follows a “do no further harm” approach, using trauma-informed, survivor-centered practices, honoring confidentiality, and prioritizing collaboration over competition with local partners.

Hazard and Risk Focus

Heaven Sent’s disaster work focuses on hurricanes and tropical storms, inland and riverine flooding, tornadoes and severe storms, wildfires, and winter/ice storms that impact vulnerable communities.

Hazard priorities may be updated based on VOAD guidance, state emergency plans, and after-action reviews following deployments.

Roles and Responsibilities

Heaven Sent maintains a clear team structure so partners understand who to contact and how decisions are made. In smaller deployments, one person may fill multiple roles, but each function is explicitly assigned.

• Executive Director / Incident Lead: Approves deployments, manages high-level partner relationships, and ensures mission and financial alignment.
• Disaster Operations Coordinator: Manages daily deployment logistics, safety, and coordination with local incident command and VOAD/COAD structures.
• Disaster Case Manager(s): Provide VOAD-style disaster case management, including intake, assessment, recovery planning, advocacy, and case closure.
• Logistics and Supply Lead: Handles supply ordering, donations management, staging, and tracking of tools, PPE, and consumables.
• Volunteer Coordinator: Manages volunteer registration, credentialing, tasking, safety briefings, and hours tracking.
• Communications and Documentation Lead: Maintains incident logs, case notes, partner contacts, and after-action reports.

EDITABLE: Add or rename roles if Heaven Sent’s team structure changes.

Preparedness and Training

Before disasters, Heaven Sent conducts basic risk assessments in communities it serves and maintains updated contact lists for county EM, VOAD/COAD groups, unmet needs coalitions, faith-based partners, and long-term recovery organizations.

Staff and volunteers receive training in safety, PPE, hazard awareness, and National VOAD disaster case management standards, and the organization maintains ready-to-deploy equipment and documentation templates.

Activation and Deployment

Heaven Sent activates when disasters significantly impact veterans, seniors, disabled neighbors, or vulnerable communities where relationships exist or where partners request assistance, and when deployment can be done safely and sustainably.

1. Monitor reliable sources (NWS, state EM, county EM, VOAD alerts) for emerging events.
2. Convene an internal call (Executive Director, Disaster Operations Coordinator, key leads) to decide on deployment, remote support, or standby.
3. Contact local EM/VOAD/COAD partners to clarify needs and avoid self-deployment where not requested.
4. Confirm deployment scope (location, duration, mission types) and secure required permissions, MOUs, or credentials.
5. Issue an internal deployment notice with reporting instructions, safety reminders, and role assignments.

Relief-Phase Operations

During the relief phase, Heaven Sent focuses on needs assessments, supply delivery, support to existing feeding programs, basic home clean-out and accessibility checks, and emergency referrals for safety and health needs.

All relief activities are documented using standard forms, with secure handling of survivor contact information for potential follow-up case management and unmet needs support.

Disaster Case Management

Heaven Sent follows National VOAD Disaster Case Management concepts, using a time-limited, goal-focused partnership between a case manager and the affected household.

• Outreach and Screening: Identify households who may benefit and screen for eligibility.
• Intake and Consent: Complete intake forms and obtain consent for information sharing.
• Assessment: Understand housing, income, health, transportation, benefits, and spiritual needs.
• Recovery Plan: Develop a realistic plan with shared responsibilities and timelines.
• Advocacy and Coordination: Connect survivors with FEMA, VA, HUD, local funds, and rebuild crews.
• Monitoring and Adjusting: Check in regularly and adapt the plan as circumstances change.
• Closure: Write a closure summary and provide referrals for ongoing support.

Case managers collaborate with state and local disaster case management programs, long-term recovery groups, and faith-based networks to maintain consistent standards and avoid duplication.

Coordination with VOAD/COAD and Unmet Needs Coalitions

Heaven Sent recognizes local unmet needs committees and VOAD/COAD structures as the backbone of long-term recovery coordination and participates, when invited, to help coordinate resources and ensure equitable allocation of limited funds.

Responsibilities include information and referral, follow-up after response agency assistance, crisis counseling referrals, clergy and peer support, and advocacy for vulnerable populations in resource allocation.

Safety, Ethics, and Confidentiality

All staff and volunteers adhere to safety protocols for debris removal, mold mitigation, tools, and PPE; assistance is never conditioned on participation in religious activities; and all survivor information is handled confidentially under VOAD, HMIS, and relevant state expectations.

Any suspected abuse, neglect, exploitation, or immediate safety risk is reported according to state law, partner policies, and Heaven Sent safeguarding procedures.

Disaster Hazards Map & Flood Tools

Heaven Sent uses publicly available “all-hazards” and flood mapping tools to understand risk and prioritize support for veterans, seniors, disabled neighbors, caregivers, and people experiencing homelessness in Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania.

These tools help identify high-risk areas for hurricanes, tropical storms, inland flooding, riverine flooding, storm surge, tornadoes, severe weather, wildfires, winter storms, and other hazards that affect vulnerable communities in these five states.

EDITABLE: Staff may update or replace the Alabama, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania links above once specific state hazard map portals are identified. All deployments should use the FEMA Flood Map Service Center and NFHL viewer to verify local flood risk before field work.

Documentation, Reporting, and After-Action Review

Heaven Sent maintains deployment logs, case records, volunteer rosters and hours, and financial records documenting how funds and in-kind resources are used in each disaster.

Within 30–60 days after major deployments, the organization conducts after-action reviews to capture lessons learned, update this SOP, and improve future coordination with partners.

Continuity of Operations and Mission Fit

Disaster deployments are planned so they do not compromise core programs, including Safe Harbor housing and ongoing support for veterans, seniors, disabled neighbors, and homeless outreach.

New disaster initiatives are evaluated to ensure they fit the mission and do not create unsustainable commitments or mission drift.

Grant & Partner Language