COAD Mission (from the ByLaws)
Black Hawk County Community Organizations Active in Disaster (BHC COAD) brings together voluntary agencies, businesses, and governmental agencies to foster a more effective preparedness, response, and recovery to the people of Black Hawk County including the municipalities, as needed, in time of disaster. We accomplish this through:
- Cooperation (creating a climate of cooperation, information sharing, and meeting together)
- Coordination (encouraging a common understanding and providing a liaison with city-county government officials as well as resource management with the community)
- Communications (publishing and disseminating information)
- Preparedness (increasing mutual awareness and encouraging effective disaster relief policies and procedures).
Please contact the COAD Chair if you would like to connect your community organization to the COAD.
COAD Goals and Objectives (DRAFT)
Goal #1: PREPAREDNESS -- Be a Recognized Model of Community Preparedness.
- Objective 1-1: Enhance Preparedness: Work on pre-disaster planning and preparedness initiatives, ensuring that communities are ready for future emergencies.
- Objective 1-2: Integrate Faith-based and Non-profit Organizations: Include churches, synagogues, mosques, and non-profits in disaster planning and response, ensuring their resources and capabilities are leveraged.
Goal #2: RESPONSE -- Maintain Capacity and Training to Effectively Respond to a Disaster in our County.
- Objective 2-1: Coordinate Disaster Response: Facilitate collaboration between local community organizations to ensure efficient and effective response during and after a disaster.
- Objective 2-5: Identify Community Needs: Assess and prioritize the needs of the affected population, including food, shelter, medical care, and emotional support.
- Objective 2-2: Support Vulnerable Populations: Ensure that individuals and groups with specific needs (e.g., elderly, disabled, low-income) are identified and receive appropriate assistance.
- Objective 2-3: Promote Volunteer Coordination: Organize and manage volunteer efforts to ensure that trained volunteers are deployed to appropriate areas and tasks during a disaster response.
Goal #3: RECOVERY -- Support Community Disaster Recovery Efforts, in Partnership with Local, County, State, and Federal Governments.
- Objective 3-1: Resource Management: Share resources (volunteers, equipment, supplies) among organizations to prevent duplication and ensure equitable distribution in affected areas.
- Objective 3-2: Facilitate Recovery Efforts: Assist in long-term recovery, helping communities rebuild & restore services, housing, and infrastructure after the immediate disaster phase ends.
