Services and programs to assist impacted individuals are supported by a wide range of governmental, non-governmental (NGO), voluntary, and private organizations (discussed throughout this KPF). Collaboration and coordination strategies should be developed with all these entities before an incident happens to help ensure integrated operations in the aftermath of an incident and efficient and effective attainment of recovery outcomes. (Refer to KPF 3, Communicate with External Partners and the Public, for a discussion of communications for a coordinated response.) Voluntary organizations play especially important roles as they are among the first and last to provide survivor support services following any type of disaster, and their work often complements federal assistance programs. VOADs provide mass care services, conduct unmet needs assessments, manage donations and volunteers, conduct home repair, and provide other assistance. However, in a chemical incident, public fear may substantially diminish the number of volunteers available to provide survivor support services. Shelter-in-place orders and/or travel restrictions may further limit the number of volunteers able to serve. Moreover, the presence of contamination may limit the kinds of services volunteers are able to provide safely.
When the scope and scale of the incident necessitate federal assistance, FEMA coordinates and leads federal resources in support of SLTT and voluntary agencies, and itself provides mass care and transitional housing and other support. Federal sources of assistance are discussed in Section 3.