Emergency PreparednessCommunity Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD)
Hearts & Lives is assisting in facilitating the creation of the Rim Communities COAD (Community Organizations Active in Disaster). This COAD is being developed to create a comprehensive disaster plan for all Rim Communities within the boundaries of the Rim of the World Unified School District. Your COAD participation is important to the success of developing services available to residents and businesses in need during all phases of a disaster. The Rim Communities COAD will include participants from all organizations within the designated area. The COAD is open to all rim communities organizations and agencies so please pass the word. Your community needs your support.
If your organization is interested in providing disaster support please contact Barbara Petersen, Director Community Recovery, Hearts & Lives at bpetersen@heartsandlives.org or (909) 337-9922.
COAD FAQs
1. Define COAD
Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) is an organization, based within a community or geographic area, which is composed of representatives from public, private, non-profit agencies, faith-based, community groups and businesses. Their mission is to strengthen area-wide disaster coordination and enhance the community’s ability to prepare, respond, recover and mitigate.
2. Identify COAD organizations active in disaster response (examples)
- American Red Cross
- California Volunteers
- Churches
- Service Clubs (Lions, Rotary, Elks, Kiwanis, etc)
- Humane Societies
- Banks
- Senior Centers
- County & City Government
- School Districts
- Hospitals
- CalTrans
- The Salvation Army
- United Way
- Fire Agencies
- Fire Safe Councils
- Water Districts
- Municipalities
- Utilities
- Community Organizations and Clubs
3. What is Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD)?
- COADs enhance the community’s ability to mitigate, prepare, respond and recover from disasters thus ensuring that human needs in a disaster situation are alleviated and addressed
- They represent many human services providers, faith-based, community groups and businesses
4. What do COADs do?
- Coordinate disaster response of member organizations
- They provide the platform for launching unmet needs groups in their communities in the event of a disaster
- They use community disaster education, hazard analysis, training exercises, classes for community leadership, local emergency management plans, and the expertise of its members to bring awareness to its community and citizens
- COADs may be considered the successors to Unmet Needs Committees
- COADs have a mission to strengthen area-wide disaster coordination by sharing programs, policies, information, joint planning and training
- Develop a coordinate approach to resources
- Develop plans, training, and exercises for disaster operations
No two disasters are alike. The impact on each victim is different. The needs of each are unique and often unmet. However, a community that brings all of its resources together can effectively respond to the needs of disaster victims in a timely way, thereby reducing the social and economic impact of the disaster. There is a need to coordinate planning efforts by the many voluntary organizations responding to disaster. This is where COADs come into play…
The perfect window of opportunity for creation of a COAD may seem to be after a disaster occurs when there is increased interest and multiple organizations are emerging to provide services. The reality, however, is that organizing a COAD in the midst of a crisis may impede the recovery process.
COADs will include any agency that has a role to play in any phase of emergency management. This includes disaster services agencies, emergency management agencies, and public, private or not-for-profit organizations with an interest in addressing a community’s emergency management needs – as well as local businesses. The COAD will be a collaborative working group in which all the participants are equal partners united by common goals. This cooperative effort has proven to be the most effective way for a wide variety of volunteers and organizations to work together in a crisis.
|
|