Strengthening mutual aid in the event of crises and disasters
In a report published in July titled "Recognising and strengthening the bonds that save us", the think tank Groupe URD highlights the essential role of spontaneous mutual aid in crisis management and response. Supported by the “Crises and Catastrophes” action collective initiated by Fondation de France, this report recalls that affected populations are not merely victims to be rescued, but full actors in crisis management.
Rather than starting with institutional crisis management systems, as is generally the case, the report first focuses on how residents organise themselves spontaneously, then analyses the relationships that develop with emergency services and institutions. To provide information for its analysis, the report draws on twelve research projects: six field studies conducted in various settings (the Roya Valley following Storm Alex, Kharkiv in war-torn Ukraine, etc.) and six webinars focusing notably on public policy and mental health.
Across all the sites studied, a common phenomenon emerges: the spontaneous mobilisation of residents, who play a crucial role by providing aid, shelter, food, transport or support to those affected. During the Kobe earthquake in Japan, for example, local residents found three-quarters of the people trapped in the rubble. After Hurricane Katrina struck the United States, nearly 43% of the victims who were rescued were saved by friends, family or neighbours.
However, this spontaneous mobilisation has its limits. While it enables a rapid response to needs, it can also lose momentum once the immediate life-threatening emergency subsides—due to exhaustion, trauma or the difficulty of maintaining the groups formed during the crisis.
Mutual aid: a bond to forge before the crisis
One of the report’s key findings is that, while the crisis brings mutual aid to light, it originates beforehand, drawing its strength from the bonds forged by residents in their daily lives. The stronger the social fabric, the greater a territory’s capacity to weather the crisis and recover from it.
The capacity to act collectively relies on trust between residents and institutions. This trust is built before the disaster, thanks to the stability of points of contact, the recognition of residents' groups and shared preparation. It is necessary to prevent mutual aid from withering away—or even disappearing—upon the arrival of emergency services.
Mutual aid is not limited to the mobilisation of residents; it also depends on how emergency services and institutions intervene. The report thus distinguishes mutual aid—based on horizontal relationships and reciprocity among those affected—from external aid, which is structured more around a vertical relationship between those providing support and those receiving it. The arrival of emergency services, with their procedures and chain of command, can then create tensions with the groups that have spontaneously organised themselves. Conversely, cooperation based on recognising and valuing local initiatives makes it possible to better coordinate the various forms of mobilisation.
“When it comes to mutual aid, the role of institutions is neither to command nor to disappear, but to provide support: to supply resources, premises, recognition, and a framework, while facilitating scaling-up without distorting or absorbing the initiative,” the report notes.
Preparing for a crisis therefore involves not only anticipating risks and organising emergency responses, but also strengthening the relationships that will enable residents to organise themselves.
This reflection on preparedness and the role of citizens during crises was recently extended at the conference "Citizen Engagement in the Face of Crises", organised on 21 September in Paris by the Agence française de développement (AFD), Expertise France and Groupe URD. The discussions focused on the role of citizens in responding to disasters and conflicts, as well as on ways to better align these dynamics of solidarity with public action.
In her closing remarks, Karine Meaux, Head of the Emergencies Department at Fondation de France, emphasised the need to view citizen mobilisation as extending well beyond the immediate emergency phase. "What matters most is the phase leading up to these disasters: preparation, strengthening social ties, and coordination with state authorities and services and local government bodies," she emphasised. An approach that guides, in particular, the Crises and Disasters action collective, launched by Fondation de France to act as close as possible to local areas and their stakeholders.
Towards a culture of mutual aid
Based on these various observations, the report proposes enriching the culture of risk—centred on hazards and information—with a culture of mutual aid, grounded in connections and a sense of purpose. In practical terms, the aim is to strengthen relationships between residents and with institutions, while building shared and inclusive narratives. A grassroots memory of mutual aid—one that is vibrant and belongs to the residents—must also enable the transmission of experiences gained during crises.
The report therefore calls for mutual aid to be made a key driver of crisis preparedness by strengthening the social fabric, expanding solidarity networks, and encouraging residents to train collectively with emergency services. By recognising mutual aid as a resource in its own right, crisis management could thus rely more heavily on those immediately present on the ground. A way to better prepare for disasters while strengthening the bonds that enable us to live better together in our daily lives.