GaVOAD

COAD

Community Organizations Active in Disaster

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WHAT IS A COAD?

Local VOAD's or Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD's) may be considered the successors to Unmet Needs Committees from the 1993 Midwest Floods because they represent many human services providers and a concern for the relief and recovery of victims of disasters. The similarity, however, ends there. COAD's have a much broader mission - to strengthen area-wide disaster coordination by sharing programs, policies, information, joint planning and training.

MISSION

A COAD is an organization, based within a community or geographic area, that is composed of representatives from public, private and not for-profit agencies. A COAD will enhance the community’s ability to mitigate, prepare, respond and recover from disasters thus ensuring that human needs inherent in a disaster situation are evaluated and addressed.

COAD's WILL BE ACTIVE IN FOUR PHASES OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT:

Mitigation

Any activity taken to eliminate or reduce the degree of long term risk to human life, property and the environment from the effects of natural and technological hazards.

Preparedness

Any activity taken in advance of an emergency that improves emergency readiness posture and develops or expands operational capabilities.

Response

Any action taken immediately before, during or directly after an emergency occurs to save lives, minimize injuries, lesson property and environmental damage and enhance the effectiveness of recovery.

Recovery

A short term activity to return vital life support systems to minimum operating standards and/or a long term activity designed to return the affected people and areas to their pre-disaster conditions.

When is a “COAD” organized?

The answer is ...... “the sooner the better”! Communities and citizens are unquestionably better served if a COAD is in place for planning and education long before a disaster strikes. 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.

Who participates in a COAD?

COAD's 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. The COAD will be a collaborative working group in which all the participants are equal partners united by common goals.

Disasters

Disaster means any natural or human caused catastrophic event that results in damage, loss, hardship or suffering. Disasters may be individual household, local, regional, state wide, or national in scope.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES AND GOALS OF A COAD:

Every COAD must determine how best to carry out its community's aspirations and prioritieswhile meeting the needs of its citizens. However, as a starting point, COADs may wish to adopt the suggested concepts below.

Principles

A COAD should provide a forum for information sharing, communication, cooperation and collaboration between agencies involved in emergency management.
A COAD should be a resource to citizens of the local community during all four phases of emergency management.
A COAD should support and be a resource to community emergency management in all four phases: mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.

Suggested Goals and Objectives

Imagine that the COAD is perfect. It has accomplished everything it needs to do before a disaster occurs. What would such a COAD look like? The ideal characteristics of a COAD can become its goals and objectives. In order to measure the effectiveness of a COAD or evaluate it, one can measure it against the accomplishment of these goals and objectives. The following is a list of suggested goals and objectives for the “ideal” COAD:

Goal 1: An inter-agency group is in existence and has assumed responsibility for coordinating inter-agency activities related to emergency management.

This inter-agency group will most likely come into existence through one of two methods (although other methods are possible):

An existing group has assumed the responsibilities for these activities

An independent interagency group has formed and assumed responsibilities of a COAD.

All appropriate agencies are engaged in the COAD process.

COAD groups or sub-groups meet as often as necessary to ensure that the goals as defined below are being accomplished.

Goal 2: The COAD or sub-group is prepared to begin functioning as an unmet needs committee immediately following a disaster.

All appropriate participants have been identified.
All appropriate participants have met and are oriented as to the unmet needs committee process.
All participants have been trained in issues of client confidentiality.
A release of confidential information form has been developed or identified for use by participating agencies.
Leadership has been identified.
A mechanism is in place for activation of the unmet needs committee.
A mechanism has been developed for taking and sharing meeting minutes.
All participants understand the "delivery sequence" of services to disaster victims that is currently used nationwide to prevent duplication of benefits.
The COAD has a plan for dealing with cash and in-kind donations.

Goal 3: A plan exists, involving all appropriate agencies, to respond to and utilize volunteers in the event of a disaster.

All appropriate agency volunteer coordinators have been identified.

All appropriate agency volunteer coordinators have met.

All appropriate agency volunteer coordinators have been trained in effective volunteer management regarding:
- Training
- Placement
- Supervision

All appropriate agency volunteer coordinators have been trained in special issues related to managing disaster volunteers including the following:
- Stress
- Debriefing
- Safety
- Liability

Working agreements between organizations have been established relating to delineating primary responsibility for intake, skills assessment and referral of spontaneous unaffiliated volunteers.

Goal 4: A plan exists for managing the receipt and distribution of in-kind donations of supplies and materials in the event of a disaster.

The plan identifies those agencies that have agency plans to handle in-kind donations and intend to do so.

The plan coordinates communication with media and the community on all agencies needs.

The plan determines how all appropriate agencies share information on what supplies each agency has, and how those supplies/resources will be shared and distributed between agencies.

The plan ensures that federal and state resources for supporting donations management are identified and procedures are in place utilizing these resources.

Goal 5: COAD members have an awareness of emergency management issues and have received appropriate training.

The training needs of COAD members have been identified.

Sources of training have been identified and shared with the COAD. This training may be provided by members of the COAD or by other sources such as GEMA or FEMA.

Agencies are committed to taking advantage of available training prior to a disaster.