ABSTRACT
No group, community or organisation has ever been prepared for all the implications of disaster. Often, in terms of the psychosocial response, organisations have got caught up in a euphoric desire to help survivors. Immediately after the disaster, resources are not a problem. Often for purely political reasons, jealously guarded money is made available during a period of massive media coverage. Ironically this help can be poorly targeted and woefully planned so that when the survivors actually need a service, one is not available. A primary purpose in the preparation of organisations is to make sure that the evolving systems ensure that survivors get what they need when they need it rather than being subject to a political whim or a gust of well-meaning euphoria.
