The Nonprofit Disaster Preparedness Summit included speakers from the Greater New Orleans Foundation, City of New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, Governor’s Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP), HandsOn New Orleans, LANO, and Southeast Louisiana Legal Services.
“We identify challenges, undertake research, convene civic leaders, and engage community to develop & implement solutions.” Andy Kopplin, President & CEO, Greater New Orleans Foundation
“This is a huge shift in philanthropy. In a time of climate change, we have to change.” Carmen James Randolph, Vice President of Programs, Greater New Orleans Foundation
One goal of the summit was to increase nonprofit preparedness for disasters through the creation of Continuity of Operations Plans.
There were 70 nonprofits registered for the summit, but less than 10% of our participants reported they have a COOP plan. We hope that tomorrow they will be better prepared.
“Organizations that are successful in recovery are flexible, innovative, and open to change.” Emile Bowman McBride, Business Development Manager, LANO
Representatives from the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) provided an overview of programs & assistance for nonprofit organizations that engage in disaster response & recovery. Community Preparedness Branch officials shared efforts underway to ensure the state is prepared from response to recovery.
“Local people solve local problems.” Rubby Douglas, Section Chief for Preparedness, GOHSEP
Nonprofit and Government leaders learned about the importance of having Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) as well as tips on how to create a plan for their organization. A panel of COOP experts shared their organization’s plans and answered questions from the audience. Tips from experts include: sharing the written plan with staff; assign specific tasks to people; establish a timeline to start delivering community services; and to always remember self-care.
Thank you Laura Mellem for representing Mayor LaToya Cantrell and NOLA Ready as well as our partners LANO, GOHSEP, FEMA, SLSS, and HandsOn New Orleans for helping to make our Nonprofit Disaster Preparedness Summit a success!