Fast, tangible, siloed, concrete.

A related stressor is the pressure for short-term measurable results which result in unrealistic goals, divorced from the longer term sustainable needs and from the psychosocial needs of communities which are less tangible but no less vital. Educating and advocating with management, decision makers and funders for psychosocial needs and longer term community outcomes (and the associated funding terms) takes a considerable amount of energy and when unsuccessful leads to a great deal of angst.

There is time pressure, but post disaster plans and guidelines are not achievable within the set timeframes. We still need to plan for the longer term outcomes. There is pressure for the targets to be achievable and if they are not ticked off in the timeframe then we have failed. Greg Ireton – Advisor, Victorian Government

The government emphasises resilience in terms of hard buildings, constructions. They recognise more than before psychosocial care but it takes more effort to create consensus that it is as important as the concrete. Ryo Goto – Plan Japan

We are appealing to people with the bundle of money who don't come from a social or community work background. They are asking us to prove ordisprove impossible things. It is outside of their understanding. They don't understand or respect how community organisations work and so their demands are nonsensical. Sylvia Thomas – COGA, Kinglake

It took a long time and a lot of work before the communities would accept me. With reporting I really struggled. I have nothing to write. The processes are not captured in the reporting. Teiichiro Yotsukura – Japan

The emphasis is on property so there are lost opportunities to consider societal opportunities. Helen Goodman – COGA, Kinglake

Targets such as so many funding applications by x date means we are measured by quantified numbers which puts pressure on the quality of service. We are less able to do the stuff that really helps. Advocacy goes unnoticed and this is what I can do best to assist someone. Even the database is number focused. There is no space to put anything except the numbers. Emily Gonzalez – FEGS, Long Island

Every dimension of community and personal life is simultaneously affected. It is only in large scale disasters that this happens. Yet experts are only concerned with a particular aspect of life, imperative to getting their work done. They came out to talk to communities but didn't know community dynamics and couldn't take it into account. They came across as insensitive. ... It is often not possible to engage them in an educative orientation process as they don't think it is their area of interest. Dr Rob Gordon - Consultant psychologist in emergency recovery