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The Human Response to Disaster: A Technological Intersection

While disasters can originate from natural causes, the response to them invariably involves human intervention. A diverse range of skills and professions are essential, even for seemingly minor emergencies. This need extends beyond immediate response to encompass pre-disaster planning and long-term recovery efforts.

Despite often modest financial rewards and the potential for lasting psychological stress, the fundamental purpose – assisting individuals during their most vulnerable moments – remains a powerful draw for those dedicated to this ongoing endeavor.

A Shift in Focus: From Technology to the Human Element

The preceding three installments of this series have centered on the role of technology in disaster response. Specifically, we examined the product sales lifecycle, the exponential increase in data generated by the Internet of Things (IoT), and the connectivity enabling widespread data dissemination.

However, insufficient attention has been given to the crucial human component: the responders themselves, the obstacles they encounter, and how technology can be leveraged to support them.

Four Key Areas of Intersection

This concluding segment of the series will explore four critical areas where human expertise and technological advancements converge within the realm of disaster response. We will also identify emerging opportunities within this evolving market.

• Training and Development: Enhancing preparedness through innovative methods.
• Mental Health: Addressing the psychological impact on responders.
• Crowdsourced Responses: Utilizing collective intelligence for effective aid.
• Hypercomplex Emergencies: Preparing for increasingly intricate disaster scenarios.

Each of these areas presents unique challenges and opportunities for integrating technology to improve disaster response capabilities and support those on the front lines.

The future of effective disaster management hinges on a holistic approach that recognizes and prioritizes both the technological and human dimensions of this critical field.

The Demanding Landscape of Emergency Response Training

Conventional training methodologies often follow a linear progression. For example, aspiring software engineers typically acquire foundational computer science knowledge alongside practical programming experience. Similarly, medical students complete extensive undergraduate coursework in biological and chemical sciences before progressing to medical school and clinical rotations.

However, the preparation required for responding to emergencies presents a unique challenge.

A diverse range of roles – from 911 operators to paramedics and emergency planners – necessitate a broad skillset. Beyond technical proficiencies like utilizing dispatch software or uploading disaster footage, crucial soft skills are paramount: clear communication, composure, adaptability, and a balance between improvisation and adherence to established protocols. The unpredictable nature of disasters demands the visceral application of these skills under pressure and with limited information.

Numerous “edtech” solutions could address these training needs, extending beyond emergency management alone.

Effective communication extends beyond team interactions to encompass engagement with diverse communities. Aaron Clark-Ginsberg, a researcher at RAND Corporation, emphasizes the importance of “social skills – the ability to collaborate with varied groups in culturally sensitive ways.” He highlights the growing recognition of this need within emergency management, stressing the importance of integrating with existing community structures during a crisis.

Cross-cultural communication skills are currently in short supply, as demonstrated by recent trends in the technology sector. While experience is a valuable teacher, could software be developed to cultivate empathy and understanding? Could more immersive scenarios be created to train emergency responders – and the public – in effective communication across a wide spectrum of conditions? This represents a significant opportunity for entrepreneurial ventures.

Emergency management has evolved into a recognized career path. Clark-Ginsberg notes the field’s increasing professionalization, with a growing emphasis on certifications. These certifications standardize emergency response, ensuring a defined level of competence and knowledge.

While certifications demonstrate specific skills, they may not provide a comprehensive assessment of overall preparedness. This gap presents opportunities for startups to develop more robust evaluation tools.

Responders often become accustomed to routine procedures, making the adoption of new skills particularly difficult. Michael Martin, from RapidSOS, explains that 911 call takers develop muscle memory, making transitions to new systems inherently risky. Despite the potential shortcomings of current software, changes can disrupt response times and increase errors. Consequently, the company dedicates substantial resources – “25,000 hours a year” – to training, support, and system integration. A sizable and fragmented market exists for both staff training and software transition assistance.

Beyond these specialized areas, a broader revitalization of training is essential. Natasha Mascarenhas recently profiled Duolingo, a gamified language learning app. While highly effective, a comparable training system for first responders is currently lacking.

Art delaCruz, COO and president of Team Rubicon, a veteran-led disaster response organization, acknowledges this issue. “Resilience is linked to education and information access, and this remains a persistent challenge,” he states. He emphasizes the need for information delivery methods simpler than traditional learning management systems, advocating for “knowledge bombs like flash cards” to reinforce existing knowledge and introduce new concepts.

Scaling best practices globally is also crucial. Tom Cotter, director of emergency response at Project Hope, highlights the training needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. “There were significant information gaps at both the clinical and community levels,” he explains. The organization collaborated with Brown University to develop interactive PowerPoints, ultimately training 100,000 healthcare workers on the new virus.

A notable characteristic of current edtech products is their narrow focus. Apps cater to language learning, mathematics, literacy, and specific subjects like anatomy. Flashcard applications like Anki are popular among medical students, while Labster offers interactive science experiments.

Despite the prevalence of boot camps in the tech industry, no edtech company attempts a complete transformation of a student’s skillset. No startup aims to holistically develop individuals, integrating technical expertise with stress management, adaptability, and empathetic communication skills.

Achieving this level of comprehensive training through software may be unattainable. However, perhaps no founder has yet embraced the ambition to revolutionize training for emergency management professionals and other industries requiring resilience and quick thinking.

Bryce Stirton, president and co-founder of Responder Corp, believes virtual reality holds significant potential. “It’s challenging to replicate stressful environments, such as firefighting,” he notes, but new technologies offer “the ability to simulate the physiological responses needed in training.” He concludes that “VR has the potential to make a substantial impact.”

Recovery and Well-being Following Traumatic Events

The realm of emergency response presents unique challenges when addressing trauma. Personnel in these fields are frequently exposed to intensely distressing situations, almost as an inherent part of their duties. While facing death and destruction is commonplace, the limited control first responders often have is frequently overlooked – such as a 911 operator providing final comfort to a family they couldn’t reach in time, or paramedics arriving at a scene lacking necessary equipment.

Post-traumatic stress is perhaps the most recognized and prevalent mental health issue among first responders, though it isn’t the sole concern. Developing methods to alleviate and potentially resolve these conditions is a rapidly expanding field attracting significant investment and innovation from numerous startups and investors.

Risk & Return, for example, is a venture capital firm with a strong focus on companies dedicated to mental health and overall human performance. As managing director Jeff Eggers stated in a recent profile, “We are drawn to this type of technology because of its dual benefit: supporting first responders in their work, while also positively impacting the broader community.”

Two companies within their portfolio illustrate distinct approaches within this sector. Alto Neuroscience is one example, a developing startup established by Amit Etkin, a neuroscientist and psychiatrist from Stanford, aiming to develop novel clinical treatments for post-traumatic stress and related conditions utilizing brainwave data. Due to its therapeutic nature, widespread testing and regulatory approvals are still some years away, but this research represents a leading edge of innovation.

NeuroFlow represents another approach, functioning as a software company that employs applications to guide patients toward improved mental health. Through ongoing assessments, monitoring, and collaboration with healthcare professionals, the company’s tools facilitate more proactive tracking of mental well-being – identifying emerging symptoms or potential relapses in complex cases. While NeuroFlow leans toward clinical applications, numerous wellness startups, such as Headspace and Calm, have also gained prominence in recent years.

Beyond therapeutics and software, new horizons are emerging in the field of mental health, particularly concerning psychedelics. I identified this as a top five investment area for the 2020s earlier this year, and maintain that assessment. We have also reported on Osmind, a clinical platform designed for managing patients undergoing psychedelic treatment.

Although Risk & Return has not yet invested in psychedelic research, Bob Kerrey, the firm’s board chairman and a former co-chair of the 9/11 Commission, as well as a former governor and senator of Nebraska, noted that “implementation can be challenging for governmental bodies, but more readily achievable within the private sector.”

Much like the field of educational technology, mental health startups often begin by serving the first responder community, but their reach extends far beyond this specific population. Post-traumatic stress and other mental health conditions impact a substantial portion of the global population, and solutions proven effective in one group can frequently be adapted for broader use. This represents a vast and significant market, with the potential to dramatically improve the lives of millions.

Before proceeding, it’s important to consider another crucial aspect: the creation of supportive communities for healing. First responders and military veterans often experience a strong sense of purpose and camaraderie during their service, which can be lost when transitioning to new careers or during recovery. DelaCruz of Team Rubicon emphasizes that deploying veterans to disaster areas helps them “re-establish a sense of identity and belonging – we possess incredible resources in these dedicated individuals who have served.” Addressing mental health requires not only individual treatment, but also a broader understanding of how it impacts entire populations.

Facilitating the discovery of purpose may present a complex challenge for startups, but it remains a significant need for many, and is an area experiencing a surge of innovative approaches now that the initial wave of social networking has subsided.

Leveraging Crowdsourcing for Enhanced Disaster Response

The concept of decentralization has gained significant traction within the technology sector recently – simply mentioning “blockchain” in a tech publication often results in a surge of promotional materials regarding the latest Non-Fungible Tokens. Despite the considerable hype, one area where this approach demonstrates genuine promise is in the realm of disaster response.

The COVID-19 pandemic vividly illustrated the internet’s capacity to both gather and validate information, construct informative dashboards, and present complex data in easily understandable visualizations for both experts and the general public. These resources were largely developed by individuals globally, frequently from their homes, showcasing how collective effort can swiftly provide substantial support during crises.

The Evolving Landscape of Disaster Management

Jonathan Sury, the project director at the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University’s Earth Institute, notes that “COVID has fundamentally altered many of our preconceived notions.” He emphasizes the exciting, practical, and empowering potential of the numerous avenues for online collaboration currently available.

Clark-Ginsberg of RAND refers to this as the “next evolution in disaster management.” He posits that “utilizing technology to expand the participation in disaster management and response” could usher in a completely new standard for effective crisis intervention. While “established systems for professional responders have been reinforced, leading to lives and resources saved, enhancing engagement with everyday citizens remains an area for improvement.”

Tools and Technologies Empowering Citizen Responders

Many of the technologies driving these crowdsourced initiatives aren’t specifically designed for disaster scenarios. Sury highlights Tableau and Flourish, a data visualization platform, as examples of tools being utilized by remote, non-professional responders. Currently, robust tools exist for managing tabular data, but the development of tools for geospatial data handling – crucial in crisis situations – is still in its early stages. Unfolded.ai, previously featured, is focused on creating scalable geospatial analytics directly within web browsers. Further advancements are certainly possible.

Often, coordination of these coordinating bodies is necessary. Develop for Good, a nonprofit organization, connects computer science students with software and data projects at nonprofits and agencies needing assistance during emergencies. These coordinators can be nonprofit organizations or even highly active social media accounts. There is considerable scope for experimentation in coordinating decentralized efforts while maintaining collaboration with professional responders and public sector entities.

Exploring the Potential of Blockchain Technology

Decentralization extends to the potential application of blockchain technology in disaster and crisis response. Opportunities exist in leveraging blockchain for evidence preservation and identity verification. For instance, Leigh Cuen recently examined Leda Health’s at-home sexual assault evidence collection kit, which utilizes blockchain to establish a definitive timestamp for sample collection.

The potential for harnessing crowdsourcing and decentralization is substantial, with applications extending beyond disaster management. These tools not only address critical needs but also foster a sense of community among individuals eager to contribute, even if they are not directly affected by the disaster.

Understanding Unforeseen Events and Their Implications

Within the startup landscape, three key markets – enhanced education, improved mental wellbeing, and advanced collaboration tools for crowdsourcing, specifically concerning data – present a particularly promising combination. These areas offer substantial value for entrepreneurs and simultaneously hold the potential for significant positive impact on people’s lives.

Charles Perrow, in his work Normal Accidents, elucidates how increasing complexity and interconnectedness within modern technological systems virtually ensure the occurrence of disasters. When considering a warming planet alongside the escalating intensity, frequency, and unusual nature of annual disasters, we are witnessing entirely new emergency scenarios for which we lack established responses. The recent extreme cold in Texas, which overwhelmed its power grid and caused widespread blackouts lasting for hours and even days, serves as a prime example.

Clark-Ginsberg highlighted that we are now facing emerging risks that extend beyond typical wildfires. “We possess established response protocols for conventional disasters and are adept at managing them,” he explained. “However, we are seeing a rise in atypical disasters, and establishing effective management structures for these proves exceedingly difficult – the pandemic is a clear illustration.”

He characterizes these difficulties as “trans-boundary risk management,” referring to disasters that transcend bureaucratic boundaries, professional fields, societal norms, and established methods of intervention. “Successfully addressing these requires a specific level of adaptability, rapid response capability, and the ability to operate outside traditional bureaucratic frameworks, which is inherently challenging,” he stated.

While we are developing increasingly refined solutions to the specific problems arising from disasters and their subsequent responses, it is crucial not to overlook the broader, systemic challenges these emergencies reveal. Prioritizing the rapid and innovative assembly of human resources, coupled with flexible and agile access to the most appropriate tools, is paramount.

Amanda Levin, a policy analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council, emphasized that “even with mitigation efforts, the pressures and impacts of a warming world are already substantial… and these impacts will persist even if emissions were to cease immediately.” An anonymous government source involved in disaster response noted, “We consistently fall short in some area.” The challenges are intensifying, necessitating superior tools for humanity to address the problems we have created. This represents both a significant challenge and a considerable opportunity for the coming century.