The worst has happened and now you have many concerned family members and friends looking for information. They might gather at your corporate offices. They might gather at the incident site.

You will need to provide them a safe, private place to gather information on the disaster response process. Some may be unable to travel, for which a communication plan to allow effective communication with those people also will be required. Finally, there may be survivors in one or more hospitals who will also need information.

Just as important as their need for information is the information you will need from them – who they are, how they are related to the injured or deceased, etc. You may need to collect reference DNA samples to enable positive identifications. You will need to know practical information about next of kin to enable you to take important actions such as sending condolence letters and enabling insurance payments.

With the help of Kenyon’s Disaster Human Service, you’ll be able to:

• Set up and manage a Family Assistance Centre
• Communicate vital information to affected families with a private family website
• Provide disaster mental health support to affected families
• Provide disaster mental health support to your staff