Interorganizational Relations in Communities Under Stress
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Date
1969-10
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Disaster Research Center
Abstract
Description
Community emergencies provide an opportunity to observe within a short span of time both the development and the results of interorganizational relations. Recovery from a disaster requires intense activity on the part of many different organizations and brings together many that have had little
contact with each other before the event. The disaster not only destroys or weakens he normal system of community decision making, but it also makes urgent the establishment of a new basis for unity. Organizations are affected by an emergency in different ways. Some suspend operations, releasing their personnel and other resources for the use of disaster organizations. Some established organizations, such as the police hospitals, continue tasks that are part of their normal pre-disaster responsibilities. Others notably the Red Cross and Civil Defense, are prepared to deal with emergencies but must rapidly expand their staffs and resources to do so. Finally, some entirely new organizations are brought into being by the emergency (Dynes and Quarantelli, 1968a).
Keywords
Interorganizational Relations, communities, stress, emergency domains