When Prometheus founder Sam Youdal first touched down in Bosnia following the war in The Balkans, he quickly realized the stark difference between humanitarian and military funding. After being asked to assist in the rebuilding of Bosnia’s infrastructure, it became clear that the standard disaster response systems in place were insufficient on all fronts.
Nearly 20 years later, Sam has learned from decades of experience with private and local sector projects that there is, in fact, a better way to approach disaster response. And if private corporations can have well-funded disaster recovery programs, why not nations? By shifting the focus to customized disaster response plans, cutting-edge technology, and a thoughtfully-connected network, we can shift from response to readiness in the face of disaster.
As climate change becomes more dire, it’s clear that a more targeted approach is needed. By combining the knowledge and passion of global experts with the speed and efficiency of the private sector, we can ensure a safer planet for all without profiting from others’ misfortunes.
Historically, disaster response is delegated to local governments, non-profits, foreign aid, and the military. Unfortunately, the complexity of the world’s disasters has only increased over time, making it more and more difficult for these organizations to keep up. As a result, response efforts are delayed, disorganized, and often dysfunctional. But disaster response doesn’t have to be this way.
Prometheus acknowledges that disasters are difficult to plan for, but they don’t have to be difficult to prepare for. Instead of responding from a position of weakness and alarm, we aim to put the power back into the hands of nations in order to respond with strength, security, and sensibility.
Prometheus helps countries professionally prepare for and respond to natural disasters by connecting and equipping a network of organizations to save lives and rebuild communities.
In order to replace broken systems and equip communities with life-saving tools and technology, Prometheus takes a unique approach to disaster response. The first question we ask is this: If all nations of the world made it their number one priority to develop a plan for natural disasters that saved people’s lives and minimized destruction, what would that solution look like? What if it were possible to create a business model whose simple concept was to prepare countries for natural disasters while offering a new and fulfilling way of life to the populace of those countries?
Current disaster response approaches are often reactive in the wake of an event, and rarely offer effective, comprehensive solutions to the problems at hand. Prometheus, on the other hand, exists to guide countries and communities in developing their own strategy, deciding who comes to their aid, and when and how that happens. By bringing together best practices of the non-profit sector, we can save lives through disaster readiness and response.
The three key components of our model apply at every stage of the disaster cycle: Governance, Finance, Operations
We’re focused on empowering individuals at the highest levels of government, ministries, non-profits, NGOs, and all others who are called on to assist. We believe that if a country is properly resourced, they can choose which organizations step in to assist, and decide how to manage them.
By training and preparing countries to be responsible for their own disaster response solutions and equipping them to actively manage their own protocols, we can make an immeasurable impact on safety and response. Countries have a vested interest in reinforcing their own legitimacy while also providing their citizens with the resources they need to contribute to a safer tomorrow, making our model an easy choice.
Governance is one of the keys to successful disaster response. When a disaster occurs, the first inclination is to ask the international community to “send us everything you’ve got.” Unfortunately, this usually results in resources or funds being misallocated, and much-needed aid is directed to the wrong location, on the wrong timeline, or is left unused. Without a basic disaster response strategy in place, countries are at the mercy of situations like this, which is why it’s so crucial to take the first steps towards reinventing the way we look at disaster response.
We believe real mitigation includes more than just preparing for a disaster. Without the aid of the global financial community, most countries aren’t able to rise above their own debt. Though we can’t help immediately mitigate debt, we can help support countries in deciding how and where to budget for disasters.Countries and organizations will often perform assessments of what’s needed should disaster strike, but never receive the funding to address the actions needed. Without funding, these assessments and analyses can quickly become the only “action” that’s being taken. The key is to link these assessments with actions so that country strategies are less reactive and more proactive. If we are to begin to truly innovate the way disasters are addressed, it’s time for a new approach to financing responses and funding disaster response management.
We leverage a combination of proven methods to ensure support exists down to the financial levels. These vehicles include internal budgets, the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), insurance vehicles, non-profit funding, corporate investment, regional development banks, and so much more. By leveraging these resources to create a disaster readiness plan, we can secure funding and plan for allocation ahead of disaster, taking one more thing off of the plate in the wake of tragedy.
Natural disasters have a way of striking in countries that are very often not prepared for them, which is why operations have always been the most difficult service to offer. The most critical step of preparedness is to design a disaster response strategy that best supports their potential threat profile and their capability to respond.
Prometheus operates within countries and even regions. Our ability to operate freely, with direct government endorsement, is a key element of our corporate and in-country structure, directly impacting our performance during the planning and execution phases of disaster-related activities.
Since our structure allows for more creativity and flexibility, we’re able to replace traditional operational models with something more suitable for the situation. Instead of standard, stuffy leadership models, we prefer to take a more decentralized approach, allowing teams to work more closely with one another. This helps members become familiar with the mission and roles of other members in order to step into those roles seamlessly, if needed. Additionally, our program management approach was created to enable companies, individuals, institutions, universities, and organizations to “plug in” their own offerings and processes within each country, as needed.
Motivated by a desire to protect our planet’s people and an unwillingness to compromise on effective disaster response, Sam leads Prometheus with passion and an extensive background of experience.
Sam Youdal has spent 35 years immersed in the world of large-scale problem solving, specifically across engineering, construction, and disaster response spaces. His strategic approach to driving change on a global scale is what sets Prometheus apart.
Sam graduated from Texas A&M University and was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. After serving as a Fellow in the U.S. Senate, he completed his Masters at Columbia University, and joined a large global infrastructure contractor where he opened the company’s offices in the Balkans region. Sam was responsible for securing financing from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in order to rebuild Bosnia’s civil infrastructure. His expertise has been shared across many industry publications and live events, including TEDx SMU.
This Titan legend is known for having stolen fire from the gods before turning around and hand delivering it to humanity. In this myth, it is said that the fire symbolizes technology, knowledge, and civilizations. You may know him as the champion of humankind, and that’s a title we can get behind.
Prometheus exists to help humanity embrace a new approach to living. Since disaster is unavoidable – and on the rise – there’s never been a better time to prioritize preparedness. By leveraging our unique approach model and tapping into an unmatched network of resources and references, our goal is to eliminate needless loss of life (and infrastructure) while empowering the world’s population to prioritize preparedness over everything else.
Disaster readiness and response isn’t one-size-fits-all, which is why Prometheus is excited to work with countries and governments to create customized plans that work for them. When disaster strikes, we aspire to inspire more confidence and control over the situation.
