FEMA head Craig Fugate just tweeted that NVOAD was saluted on the White House blog earlier this week. David Myers, Director for the Center for Faith-based and Community Initiatives at the Department of Homeland Security, wrote about the group and its annual conference held last week in Orlando:

….You might be asking yourself, what is a VOAD? The first thing I can tell you is that National VOAD is a key partner of FEMA and the DHS Faith/Community Center. National VOAD is a nonprofit membership organization whose members are national nonprofit organizations whose mission includes programs in disaster preparedness, response and/or recovery. Since its founding, state and local equivalents of VOAD have emerged to foster cooperation, communication, coordination and collaboration at the state and local level–the heart of any disaster response. This conference is one of the only times during the year that these groups come together in non-disaster events…

Highlights of the conference included presentations by Joshua DuBois, Executive Director of the Office of White House Faith-Based & Neighborhood Partnerships, and FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. DuBois said, “You make wonders happen.” He described the work of disaster volunteers and staff gathered at the conference: “With the government’s partnership and your works of faith and service, people made hungry and homeless from disaster are fed and housed.”

In the wake of recent tornadoes, floods and storms, DuBois emphasized the point that federal government cannot help everyone alone. “You [volunteer] not because you have been assigned to do it. No one has conscripted anyone into service. You are there, voluntarily, because you cannot do otherwise.”

At the conference, NVOAD showed a 40th anniversary video (below) recounting its history and thanking those non-profits and volunteers for their work over the past four decades.

NVOAD’s 40th anniversary video

The faith-based community is an important yet often overlooked leg of citizen emergency preparedness stool. Religious institutions already have a leadership role in their neighborhoods,  have credibility with the public, and are often the best (and sometimes only) connection to parts of the community – ie. non-English speaking, immigrant – that government has the most difficult time reaching before and during a disaster. Engaging religious leaders and institutions to be in the forefront of spreading the word about emergency preparedness makes a lot of sense since they will be in the forefront of any disaster response. 

The New York City Citizen Corps Council provides an overall umbrella for area organizations involved in disaster preparedness and response. It offers many opportunities for citizens interested in volunteering in the area of disaster preparedness and response. These events are occurring in New York City borough with the next one taking place in Staten Island. Below is a photo of Herman Schaffer, the Chair of New York City’s Citizens Corps Council, providing clergy members with an overview of the City’s efforts and plans regarding emergency preparedness to the religious leaders.

 

One interesting idea for engaging the faith-based sector in preparedness is Alabama’s Be Ready Sunday. In 2007, the state designated a Sunday during National Preparedness Month (September) for religious leaders should speak to their congregations on the subject of preparedness. Alabama’s Homeland Security Director Jim Walker told me that the day turned out to be quite successful in helping focus efforts and expanding the reach of the preparedness message not only inside the houses of worship, but, thanks to media coverage about the day, outside as well. A ”Be Ready Sunday” (or maybe ”Be Ready Weekend” to include faiths, such as Judaism, that worship on other days) is worth trying here in New York and other parts of the country.

If you would like more information about getting involved in the faith-based community’s disaster efforts or are just interested in the subject of emergency preparedness, I recommend signing up for the biweekly email newsletter put together by New York Disaster Interfaith Services (NYDIS). NYDIS works to develop and support faith-based disaster readiness, response and recovery services in the New York City area. Its newsletter provides information on many citizen preparedness initiatives, activities and news. It is comprehensive, but very well-edited so easy to read.

By the way, the location of yesterday’s event, The Queens Museum, located right next to the old World’s Fair grounds and the National Tennis Center, is the home of one of the underappreciated landmarks in New York, the Panorama, a 9,3335 sq. ft. model of New York City that includes every building built before 1992 – with 895,000 individual structures. These photos offer some sense of how incredible it is, though I suggest a visit. Seeing the Panorama gives even long-time New Yorkers like myself a new appreciation of and perspective on our City. In fact, though the event was not scheduled for this reason, seeing the Panorama underscores the City’s emergency management situation. For example, you really see the role of the water both as a natural threat to the City, but also as well as a potential source of evacuation.