After devastating flooding in San Diego County, the Community Recovery Team faced an enormous challenge: supporting displaced residents through their recovery journey while managing their own emotional toll. As a disaster case management program created to respond to this federally declared disaster, the team of 20-25 case managers came together quickly, most meeting for the first time after being selected for their strong community ties.
Despite their collective expertise, the team encountered significant hurdles. “The event itself was made worse by systemic failures,” shared Samantha Williams, the program director. “This created an environment of mistrust and frustration that our case managers had to navigate daily. Client frustration was looming large for the team, and we wanted to give them a framework and tools to navigate this without having them burn out and leave.”
Adding to the strain was the inherent secondary trauma of working with disaster survivors. To prevent burnout and foster resilience, the organization turned to Hummingly for support. The collaboration brought transformative results.
One of the outcomes was the way the team embraced collective accountability. Team members began conducting check-ins with each other independently, sharing responsibilities, and offering support when someone felt overwhelmed. The director noted, “They’ve truly become a seamless unit, working together in ways I didn’t anticipate.”
Thanks to Hummingly, the Community Recovery Team not only strengthened their capacity to serve flood survivors but also built a framework of resilience to sustain their efforts.
“The team knows when to carry people's emotional loads and when to leave it. I mean the difference between the month before and the month following is just night and day. They're taking care of themselves. I'm not worried about burnout now. I know that they have what they need to be able to do the job.”
Samantha Williams, Program Director
By prioritizing their team's well-being, the Community Recovery Team has set an inspiring example of how to care for those on the frontlines of disaster recovery—empowering them to deliver life-changing support to the communities that need it most.
