International Resources Group works closely with US and host country governments to respond to a wide variety of international disaster situations. We specialize in planning, prevention, mitigation, training and capacity building for disaster management institutions as well as recovery services for populations affected by natural disasters and complex emergencies.

Capabilities:

• Risk and Vulnerability Reduction
• Famine Assessments, Food Aid and Food Security
• Capacity Building and Training
• Community Preparedness
• Policy and Planning
• Surge Capacity
• Relief Supply and Distribution

Select projects include:

Assisting in Short-Term Relief Efforts Worldwide
IRG is the prime contractor providing support services to USAID's Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) for immediate short-term disaster relief assistance in the areas of water, sanitation, health and nutrition, and food relief in response to international emergency requirements. Worldwide: Global Disaster Relief Assistance IQC

Improving Capacity to Confront Disasters and Risk
IRG works across 31 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, providing full-time administrative and technical program support for the USAID Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) Regional Disaster Assistance Program. IRG provides disaster response, preparedness, and risk reduction training and technical assistance using a flexible approach customized to the needs of each country. IRG’s technical assistance helps national and regional disaster agencies develop the tools and capacity to address disaster risk, including risk and vulnerability assessments, response procedures (including early warning systems), national emergency plans (including simulation exercises and preparedness drills), and risk reduction and mitigation strategies. Our training program spans five thematic areas: risk management, first response, forest fire prevention and control, school/university safety, and skill-building for instructors, curriculum developers and facilitators. When disasters strike throughout the region, IRG helps to coordinate US Government emergency response efforts at the request of USAID/OFDA. Latin America and the Caribbean: USAID/OFDA Regional Disaster Assistance Program

Coordinating US Efforts to Establish Tsunami Warning System
As the Lead Program Integrator for the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System (IOTWS), the IRG/Tt Joint Venture assisted the US Government (USG) in achieving the overall expected results of the program, reporting on these results, and publicizing successes. The IOTWS operated in five countries: India, Indonesia, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. IRG provided leadership, broad coordination, logistical, training, and administrative support across the five-country, multi-agency program. IRG also facilitated national and regional events, provided rapid access to and deployment of highly specialized technical expertise, and provided technical assistance to improve policies and regulations related to disaster preparation. Asia: US Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System Program

Coordinating Efforts of Response and Management
IRG provided support, coordination, logistics, and technical assistance to USAID, India's Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), and other partners to address both natural and human-caused emergencies. Because India is a vast and diverse nation with communities that have various degrees of capability in disaster response and management, IRG coordinated activities from a national perspective while simultaneously worked closely with individual states to address their specific needs and objectives, such as responses to forest fires, earthquakes, and cyclones. IRG also helped the MHA execute its larger vision for the country while coordinating with individual states, US government agencies, and internal and international programs. India: Disaster Management Support (DMS) Project

Training Specialists for Disaster Response
Since 2000, IRG has provided the USAID Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) with full-time expert training and development staff who design, coordinate, implement, and manage the strategic development and delivery of effective training programs, staff development services, and other activities that support the achievement of the OFDA mandate. IRG has developed and delivered a comprehensive curriculum of blended and instructor-led courses aimed at improving the skills and knowledge disaster response staff need to work safely in unpredictable and often dangerous environments. As part of the contract, IRG manages the Joint Humanitarian Operations Course (JHOC) which establishes a formal learning environment for select US military leaders and planners to discuss the relationship between USAID, its partners, and the US Military in preparing participants to work collaboratively during humanitarian assistance /disaster response operations. The IRG training team received a USAID meritorious honor group award in 2005 for extraordinary responsiveness to the training needs of OFDA and its USAID and interagency partners, especially during the Iraq, Sudan, and South Asia tsunami disaster responses. Support Services to USAID’s Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance (DCHA)

Establishing Local Emergency Response Capacity to Natural Disasters in Watersheds
Part of a broad program to manage critical watersheds, IRG also addressed capacity building for municipalities and communities to prepare for and respond to natural disasters in Honduras. IRG established and trained 28 municipal emergency committees, 24 municipal emergency operations centers, and 151 local emergency committees throughout Honduras. IRG equipped these groups with skills in damage/needs assessments, forest firefighting, emergency supply management, early warning systems, evacuation routes, public awareness notifications, emergency plans, stream-flow monitoring, communications, institutional coordination, first response, hydrological and risk assessment data, and municipal strategic planning processes. Honduras: Integrated Watershed Resources Management Project

Providing Flexible Food Support Options
IRG was tasked with ensuring that Afghan communities did not experience acute food shortages. Recognizing that a large centralized operation would not have the necessary flexibility to respond to unforeseen circumstances, IRG used an approach that was regional, rapid, and flexible to respond to an unpredictable situation. Afghanistan: Food Assistance Program

Improving Disaster Preparedness Systems for Emergency Response
For USAID’s Hurricane Georges Recovery and Reconstruction program, IRG helped coordinate mission programs with work of other government agencies, provided technical assistance and training to improve the Dominican Republic’s disaster and civil defense officers’ response capacity, assisted communities in adopting disaster mitigation and preparedness techniques and helped develop and implement disaster and contingency plans. Dominican Republic: Vulnerability Reduction

Developing Regional Networks to Increase Response Capacity
IRG was involved with disaster management agencies in India, the Philippines, Indonesia, Nepal, and Bangladesh to improve capacity in disaster response. Over the course of the program, technical assistance was provided to these countries through training and development of a regional network of disaster managers. IRG also provided institution strengthening services, small grants to ensure local participation, and implemented a program to raise local awareness of disaster preparedness. Asia: Program for the Enhancement of Emergency Response (PEER)