An Exploration of the Creation and Maintenance of Local Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster

Abstract

This study sought to explore the factors that influence the creation and maintenance of Local Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (LVOADs). Semistructured interviews were conducted and data was analyzed following the principles of Grounded Theory as outlined by Charmaz (2006). Seventeen individuals were selected based on their involvement in five LVOADs within FEMA’s Region VIII. It was found that creation factors held a high degree of consistency LVOAD-to-LVOAD, but the maintenance factors suffered from a limited number of available LVOADs that progressed to the maintenance stage. Findings suggest communities require multiple hazard events, strong leadership, and a formal organizational structure to develop LVOADs and they are difficult to maintain. Throughout creation, LVOADs face a number of barriers including burnout, turnover, and turf issues. During maintenance, LVOADs attempted to counteract barriers by offering value with membership. This study concludes with implications for emergency management practice and the academic discipline.