International Disaster Response Management

In the immediate aftermath of the deadly Haiti earthquake in January 2010, Macfadden staff members were among the first on the ground in Port-au-Prince to support the initial relief effort. At the height of the response, Macfadden deployed information, press/public outreach and program support staff and consultants. From the U.S., Macfadden assisted the response by providing information support, grants processing, geographic information services, and travel arrangements for critical early responders headed to the field.

Macfadden continues to maintain a presence in Haiti, working closely with USAID in the difficult transition from relief to recovery. Macfadden is providing technical assistance in the areas of public outreach, democracy and governance, rule of law, economic security and resettlement of affected populations. Our technical assistance includes providing assessments of sectoral programming at the community, country and regional level, as well as contributing to the design, development, monitoring, and evaluation of sectoral strategies and programs.

Macfadden actively supports USAID/DCHA's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), the office leading the U.S. government response to recent flooding in Pakistan. Macfadden staff members stationed in Islamabad are providing crucial information support services, as well as public outreach support for the response.

In Washington, DC, Macfadden is involved in coordinating the field response and U.S.-based decision-making with geographic information services such as daily map books detailing the extent of flooding, affected areas and distribution of implementing partners and their activities. Having access to accurate, up-to-date cartographic information helps response leaders minimize duplication of activities and understand the complexity of the disaster in geographic terms.

Macfadden continues to support emergency preparedness efforts as a part of USAID's Stamping Out Pandemic and Avian Influenza (STOP AI) team. STOP AI provides technical resources and support services in preparedness planning, surveillance and prevention, outbreak and response, and re-infection prevention and recovery within the animal health sector. Macfadden and the project's prime contractor, Development Alternatives, Inc. (DAI), are helping ensure that Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) does not evolve into a human health crisis.

As part of the STOP AI initiative, Macfadden provides logistics and operations support to teams deployed overseas. We provide assistance by developing in-country logistics plans for distribution of USAID Avian Influenza Commodities and are helping to guide the development and review of in-country Avian Influenza preparedness plans, including the development of logistics standard operating procedures (SOPs). Macfadden has participated in missions to Ghana and Nigeria to assist USAID missions and enable host governments in these countries to strengthen their logistics capacities to cope with Avian Influenza outbreaks and develop SOPs for USAID AI commodities distribution.

Macfadden provided support to Sudan to oversee and implement humanitarian and transition programming in Darfur in response to a variety of complex political, humanitarian and social problems. Macfadden provided administrative and operational field support to the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) by maintaining two field offices located in Nyala and El Fasher, along with establishing a main office in Khartoum. These field offices supported USAID temporary duty staff; the purchase and/or maintenance of office and guest house equipment; the recruitment and hiring of staff; the maintenance of communications system and the implementation of administrative, personnel and procurement support.

On behalf of the Department of State’s Operation Provide Hope, Macfadden has supported 963 airlift missions resulting in assistance valued at $4.6 billion to the Newly Independent States (NIS) of the former Soviet Union since the program began in 1992. Macfadden staff regularly travel to the Eurasia region to facilitate the delivery of ongoing humanitarian assistance to the region.

Macfadden continued its history of helping agencies prepare for disasters through an initiative supporting Development Alternatives Inc.'s (DAI) work with the SCOPES program. Funded by USAID, the primary purpose of the SCOPES program is to aid Serbian communities in planning and preparing for potential natural disasters, crises and emergencies.

Macfadden's primary tasks under this sub-contract involved providing essential training to enable the rapid and effective assessment of emergency situations during surge situations to ensure that maximum capacity is realized. Training modules were presented to DAI and USAID staff to equip SCOPES personnel and potential assessors with the necessary tools, knowledge and skill sets that are required to conduct damage and needs assessments in a timely manner, while following internationally recognized standards.