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Nonprofits and Emergency Preparedness in the NCR |
| Written by Miguel Ascarrunz, on September 29, 2008 |
In a recent Washington Post headline Charities Unprepared for Major Disaster, an article pegged a new GAO report titled, FEMA Should More Fully Assess Organizations’ Mass Care Capabilities and Update the Red Cross Role in Catastrophic Disasters, and highlighted continued significant gaps in national mass care capabilities. The report also confirms previous Hurricane Katrina reviews that nonprofit and volunteer organizations play a critical role in disaster response and recovery. Consequently, all levels of government should make a greater effort to include them in planning for catastrophic disasters.
Nonprofits in the Greater Washington Area are a vital component in emergency response and recovery for our region, but we, as a region, are also experiencing many of the same shortfalls. In an ongoing effort, the Roundtable, Deloitte, and other nonprofit and government partners are working to identify and address these gaps in the National Capital Region through the Roadmap to Preparedness Initiative.
In a recently released report, Ready or Not?, the National Capital Region nonprofit community, through focus groups, have identified a number of priority gaps in regional preparedness. Many of these gaps align with those highlighted in the report. From this report, we are developing a Roadmap to Preparedness Strategic Plan, which will address these readiness gaps and provide specific actionable initiatives. The final plan will be released at a National Press Club event on October 23rd.
Two upcoming emergency preparedness events that our nonprofit leaders and others are welcome to attend:
• Oct 23, 9:00am: NCR Nonprofit Emergency Preparedness Strategic Plan release at the National Press Club
• Dec 3-4: NCR Meta-Leadership Summit for Regional Leaders (Govt/Nonprofit/Business) – more info to follow
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments about the intersection of nonprofits and emergency preparedness.
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