Evaluating Trainers’ Deployment Efforts Following Hurricanes
The ask: Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria left devastating impacts across various states and communities in 2017. The United Steelworkers Tony Mazzocchi Center for Health, Safety, and Environmental Education (USW-TMC) requested that MDB conduct a formal evaluation of their Specialized Emergency RespoEvanse Trainers’ (SERTs) deployment to disaster-impacted areas in Texas, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The solution: MDB was awarded a contract from the client (USW-TMC) to conduct this evaluation and collaborated with the program administrator to conduct phone interviews with SERTs who were deployed to Texas, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands between the months of September 2017 through February 2018. MDB also gathered details from SERTs by attending a United Steelworkers Health and Safety Conference, which took place in June 2018.
Notable outcomes: The final evaluation product included a comprehensive report where we summarized the USW-TMC and SERTs reflections from the field, experiences, lessons learned, and key recommendations for future disaster deployment. This report was well-received by the client and USW-TMC program administrator who stated, “The report looks fantastic. Thank you so much for your work on this project. This is something we can all truly be proud of.” In subsequent conversations that MDB staff had with the program administrator and SERTs, they frequently stated how valuable the evaluation was, as well as their gratitude for MDB’s support in this endeavor.
