After Fiona: What Atlantic Canada Taught Us About Response at Scale

In late September 2022, post-tropical storm Fiona struck Atlantic Canada, bringing destructive winds and storm surge to Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador. In the months that followed, the Canadian Red Cross reported that it had assisted more than 96,000 eligible households, supported by more than $54 million in donations, including federal matching funds.

The figures are striking. What interests me most, however, is how that assistance was delivered.

Relief as an information problem

According to the Red Cross, a very large share of assistance was provided virtually or remotely, and tens of thousands of assessments were completed digitally. More than a thousand volunteers and staff were mobilised, and reception sites were established across the region.

In other words, relief at this scale is fundamentally an information challenge. Who needs help? Where are they? What have they already received? How quickly can support reach them? Supplies matter enormously, but without systems that answer these questions reliably, supplies cannot reach the right people in time.

The lesson for smaller organisations

Few community organisations will ever operate at the scale of a national relief agency. The principle, however, applies at every size. An organisation that knows its clients, keeps accurate records and can communicate quickly is an organisation that can respond when circumstances change suddenly.

• Digital intake reduces paperwork and speeds assistance.
• Secure, shared records prevent duplication and oversight.
• Clear communication channels — text, email, telephone — reach people where they are.
• Trained volunteers can be mobilised quickly when roles are defined in advance.

Generosity and infrastructure together

Canadians gave generously after Fiona, as they so often do. That generosity achieved its full effect because it met an organisation equipped to translate it into assistance. Technology did not replace compassion; it carried compassion further and faster. That, to my mind, is technology’s highest purpose in this sector.