The Foreign Service Journal, February 2003

pets out of the country for safekeeping, if there is enough advance warning of a pending crisis. Domestics: need to bar access to homes on depar- ture, leave instructions on payments due in case of non- return, identification of severance entitlements and termination instructions, payments due on medical/other coverage. Many employees do not real- ize that access to the house by a domestic may jeopar- dize any future claims for losses, as it makes it difficult to prove that it was not the domestics who stole things which might be missing. While the government may recognize claims for items taken by looters, or even government-contractor packers, the responsibility for items stolen by domestics rests with the employee. Documents to gather together: passports, inven- tory listings, car papers, school records, health records, etc. If possible, medical records should be given to employees before they depart. School records should be obtained as soon as possible and forwarded to employees evacuated. Packout of personal effects: listing of items to be packed in air freight (in case such is possible), place- ment of such items in a central location if possible before evacuation, putting equipment in original pack- ing if such was kept. Just in case packout of housheold effects may be possible, leaving instructions on what to do with foodstuffs, tagging personal furniture to avoid its being confused with government issue, leaving a power of attorney to handle packouts, etc. Vehicles: where to take/leave them, where to leave keys for safekeeping, how to assign power of attorney for sale if possible after an evacuation, what papers will be needed by the post if the vehicle can be sold, etc. (For example, regulations against making a profit on a sale require that the employee prove original purchase price; this delayed numerous payments while employ- ees struggled to find appropriate documentation.) It should be clearly understood by employees just what responsibility the post will take for vehicles. Official property: clear and early guidance on what to do with official property, including identifica- tion of office equipment located in the residences, radios, keys to office doors and files, etc. and clarifica- tion of responsibilities for government property at res- idences (if there is time, bringing in furniture and equipment outside the house, noting items on loan to others, etc.). Possible consolidation points: early identifica- tion, and guidance as to what should be carried to these points. One of the frustrations for Kinshasa employees was that they were told to pack for two days at a consolidation point, then were unable to get back to their homes to pack for actual evacuation. These possibilities should be considered early in the process, to permit more orderly planning by employees. During the Crisis During the actual crisis, there should be some mechanism for communication with employees and dependents to minimize the feeling of isolation and ignorance of what was going on elsewhere in the city or even the neighborhood. In this respect, USAID was at an advantage in Kinshasa. Since our radios were on different frequencies than the embassy’s, we were able to schedule radio sessions with all employ- ees for morning and afternoon, without affecting the embassy’s emergency net. During these sessions, we were able to provide information about what was hap- pening, status on plans for evacuation, guidance on what to do and take, and other matters of interest. We could also gather information where needed, such as confirming safe haven points for issuance of travel authorizations, obtaining addresses for manifest lists, and identifying special needs for evacuation planning. Such sessions can greatly improve morale by offering everyone the opportunity to know what is happening and to participate in the evacuation process. One critical element of our emergency planning that is all too often overlooked was the local workforce. Foreign national staff saw Americans leaving and had no idea what was going on, whether the Americans would ever return, and what the potential impact on them might be. USAID held several open meetings for our Foreign Service National staff to let them know what was happening and to let them ask any questions they had. This significantly improved morale. The packout of personal effects is another area of significant concern to employees. Early in a crisis, the post should check packing supplies to ensure that enough will be available to cover air freight needs. The post should be prepared with requests for assis- tance to Washington, for both packing materials to be brought in and arrangements for transportation of effects out of country when packed. F O C U S 46 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 3