Welcome
Disaster Action is a charity, founded in 1991 by survivors and bereaved people from UK and overseas disasters. Living all round the UK, our members have personal experience of over 20 disasters, including rail, air and maritime as well as natural disasters and terrorist attacks. We came together to help create a health and safety culture in which disasters are less likely to occur, to offer guidance and support to others who find themselves similarly affected by major tragedy, and to raise awareness of the needs of survivors and bereaved.
News
Cumbria ShootingsIf you have been affected by the tragic events in Cumbria you may find our leaflet series When Disaster Strikes useful - see the links on right of this page. Disaster Action offers support and guidance to survivors, their families and to those bereaved in traumatic circumstances. Some of our members have directly relevant personal experience that may help, so please do not hesitate to get in touch if you wish. We offer our support and condolences not only to the survivors and bereaved, but to the whole community at this time. Cumbrian Coach CrashYou may find our When Disaster Strikes leaflet series helpful, whether you are a survivor of the crash, or have been bereaved. Members of Disaster Action have experience of other disasters involving schools. Do get in touch if you wish to. In the meantime, our thoughts and good wishes are with all those affected.
Spring 2010 Newsletter
The past three years have seen the 20th anniversaries of most of the disasters that led to the foundation of Disaster Action. Our spring 2010 newsletter reflects on the experiences of those whose lives were changed by those terrible events, and what the passage of the years has meant for them. It also highlights the continuing focus of our work: giving a voice to those affected, whether by natural disaster, transport crashes or terrorist attack. This work is as relevant at the end of the first decade of the 21st century as it was in the past. The newsletter shows the difference that Disaster Action can make not only to survivors and bereaved, but in guiding and supporting emergency planners and responders.
:: Disaster Action Spring 2010 newsletter [PDF]
About DisasterAction
Disaster Action is concerned with the general principles and issues that may be relevant to any disaster, whatever its origin.
We use our experience to offer support and information for the bereaved and survivors from the disasters that continue to occur. This work has produced a series of leaflets entitled When Disaster Strikes. For the small number of survivors and bereaved who go on to develop conditions such as post traumatic stress disorder as a result of their experience, further help is available.
Disaster Action seeks to raise awareness of the needs of those directly affected by disaster. In this capacity, we act as lay advisers to central and local government and the statutory and voluntary services on the development of emergency guidance and policy. Disaster Action is fully independent from the organisations to which it offers guidance and advice. Guidance leaflets for responders to disasters, and links to information to support their work, can be found in our guidance for responders page.
Much of Disaster Action’s work by members is done on a voluntary, unpaid basis. The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust was a long-term supporter of our work on corporate responsibility. The Trust also provided some core funding for the period from 2003 to 2008. The Esmee Fairbairn Foundation responded positively to our application for core funding from 2009 and we are grateful for their support. Disaster Action also receives occasional gratuities, as well as self-funding through fees for members' presentations at seminars and conferences, and from some consultation work. We cherish our independence.
As part of our aim to influence and improve health and safety culture and corporate governance, we are involved in projects, discussions and consultation in relation to corporate responsibility. This work is conducted through our corporate responsibility project.
We also offer presentation services with members regularly contributing to emergency management courses, seminars and conferences where the focus is on the human aspects of disaster. Further details about our organisation and its aims and where our members are drawn from are given in the organisation section.
Finally, our publications section provides details about a book by Disaster Action, The Case for Corporate Responsibility. In it we argued the case for reform of the laws governing involuntary manslaughter (which finally saw a new Act of Parliament in 2007), setting out a number of specific proposals. This section also provides information on our report based on a survey into the reporting of health and safety by the FTSE 100 companies in their annual reports. |
