HISTORY
INTERTECT .... Providing worldwide specialized professional services in every
type of major disaster. From the preparation of plans and studies to the
actual on-site expertise, I NTE RTECT has been serving private and governmental
relief agencies in Jamaica, Bolivia, India, Peru, Bangladesh, Guatemala,
Lebanon and countless sites around the world.
INTERTECT was established in 1970 as a center to document the experiences and
lessons of the relief operations in Nigeria the previous year. Information
sharing and field research activities followed until 1971 when the center was
reorganized and established as a private consultancy to provide a full range of
technical services to private and governmental relief agencies. Serving
worldwide, INTERTECT consultants are active in every type of major disaster,
providing on-site expertise. Backup support for fieldwork is provided through
continuous research and development efforts conducted in-house and in
association with institutions recognized as leaders in the disaster field.
ORGANIZATION
Scattered worldwide, there are ten consultants and approximately twenty
associates operating within the INTERTECT network. Each has his or her own
professional concern and an on-going commitment to the field of disaster relief
and pre-disaster planning.
INTERTECT'S primary efforts are in support of the humanitarian work of the
relief and development agencies. We recognize that few agencies can afford to
maintain a full-time complement of technicians and field staff devoted entirely
to disasters. By establishing a working relationship with these agencies,
INTERTECT can move quickly to support an agency and supplement its field staff,
thus assuring that time and valuable resources are maximized.
The company has been structured so that administrative costs can be kept to a
minimum, thus making our services affordable to all who require them.
THE INTERTECT APPROACH
The INTERTECT style is characterized by a low-key approach to problem-solving
-- one which is unusually thorough but encourages local staff to take on
responsibility for the work at hand. In emphasizing the intimate
interrelationship between disasters and underdevelopment, every effort is made
to ensure that relief activitities are compatible with, and reinforce, on-going
development efforts. Conscious learning from experience is encouraged
throughout. INTERTECT consultants are noted for their commitment to work which
has as its objective the transfer of decision-making power to the local
community.
It is the INTERTECT philosophy that there are no simple solutions to disaster
problems, only intelligent choices made possible by an understanding of past
experience. We believe that many workable approaches for resolving disaster
problems can be found within the affected communities and that broad-based
community participation is required for successful program planning and
execution. To this end we strive to hold ourselves accountable to both our
clients and the disaster victims.
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