Description:
After the North American ice storm in 1998, the Canadian Technical and Scientific Commission on the Ice Storm proposed to establish a committee for humanitarian and community organizations. The committee was founded in 1999. Since 2007, the committee has been incorporated in the “ROHCMUM” -association of community and humanitarian organisations for emergency measures in Montreal (Regroupement des organismes humanitaires et communautaires pour les mesures d’urgence à Montréal).
ROHCMUM aims to optimize assistance to people affected by major emergencies through effective coordination of the humanitarian and community organizations in the region. Its mission can be summarised in three points:
- They are committed to developing and sustaining a culture of disaster preparedness among community and humanitarian organisations and emergency responders in their region.
- To facilitate the mobilisation of the various community and humanitarian organisations in the event of a crisis, ROHCMUM provides a common point of contact, thus simplifying communication and organisation.
- By coordinating the different competences and skills of the various actors, the people concerned should receive the best possible help.
An example of how the ROHCMUM can help can be found in the report on the flooding in Montréal in 2017. Shortly after the flood, the emergency response coordination centre received many requests from citizens who wanted to help or donate. ROHCMUM was tasked with managing the donations and offers of help.