Innovation in Effective Compassion Home > Background of the FBCI > Key Reports > Compassion in Action - Partnerships in Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery: The Role of Faith-Based and Community Organizations in Building Resilient Communities

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Preface

In January 2007, the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives launched a series of monthly Compassion in Action Roundtable meetings to highlight organizations, programs, and policies addressing critical social needs. The Roundtables convene and facilitate discussion among policymakers, government officials, philanthropists, and faith-based and community service providers around targeted issues.

The events reveal the President’s Faith-Based and Community Initiative as a broad-based, community-centered reform agenda; showcase innovative projects and promising practices; and draw attention to government efforts to expand and support the work of faith-based and community organizations actively engaged in serving their neighbors and communities.

The following report offers an overview of the May 2008 Compassion in Action Roundtable, entitled Partnerships in Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery: The Role of Faith-Based and Community Organizations in Building Resilient Communities. Please note the statistical information presented throughout the report reflects data available up to the time of Roundtable, and excludes any data collected after May 2008.

Introduction
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
  Keynote Remarks
  Secretary Michael Chertoff
The Role of Faith-Based and Community Organizations in Emergency Preparedness
  Panelist: Jennifer Posten, Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston
  Panelist: Kary Kingsland, Convoy of Hope
  Panelist: Mary Marr, Christian Emergency Network
  Panelist: Paul Goldenberg, Secure Community Network
Technology as an Engine for Community Solutions in Times of Disaster
The Vital Role of FBCOs in Disaster Response and Recovery
  Panelist: Wendy Spencer, Volunteer Florida: The Governor’s Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service
  Panelist: Penny Dendy, Volunteer Mobile, Inc., Alabama
  Panelist: Don Gann, Mississippi Baptist Convention Board
  Panelist: John Hope Bryant, Operation HOPE, Inc.
Heralding Unheard Voices: The Value of Faith-Based Organizations and Non-Governmental Organizations During Disaster

Appendix A: Federal Efforts in Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery
Appendix B: Biographies
Appendix C: Compassion in Action Rountable Agenda

Introduction

Effective disaster preparation, response, and recovery strategies are increasingly defined by partnerships that draw upon the complementary strengths of the public, private, and non-profit sectors. Faith-based and community organizations (FBCOs), in particular, play an invaluable role within these partnerships, offering an established presence and existing infrastructure within the community, as well as a unique ability to mobilize resources and human capital. FBCO response and recovery operations demonstrated these strengths in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma, as they helped organize many of the 1.5 million volunteers that gave approximately 14 million hours of service to communities affected by the disaster. Jay Hein, director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, noted that this was the largest recorded volunteer response to a natural disaster in American history, adding, “nonprofit organizations and volunteers are the first in and the last out, and often times the highest performing,” among the nation’s emergency responders.

Faith-based and community organizations lend a local and personal touch to Federal preparedness and response systems that Hein described as often “distant and impersonal.” Hein explained that while government is “useful and effective,” the Faith-Based and Community Initiative (FBCI) takes “these big systems and helps them grow smaller and more local, and therefore, we think, more sustainable.” The FBCI facilitates government transformation through its 12 agency centers, which expand and enhance partnerships with nonprofit groups while fulfilling the broader mission of each agency. As disaster recovery models transition from a government-centered delivery of services to a more collaborative approach, FBCOs will remain a vital Department of Homeland Security (DHS) partner, ensuring that communities are equipped to respond effectively to both the short- and long-term impact of disasters.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives

To expand the role of FBCOs in Federal disaster preparation, response, and recovery, the President created the DHS Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (CFBCI) by Executive Order on March 7, 2006. The DHS CFBCI trains FBCOs to effectively join with government and the private sector in disaster preparation and response. The Center hosts regional workshops across the U.S. titled, “Partnerships in Emergency Preparedness: A Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Workshop,” and promotes coordination between government emergency response and FBCOs willing to join these efforts. The CFBCI also strengthens the role of FBCOs in the revised National Response Framework, which outlines stronger partnerships between the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to better leverage the resources of FBCOs in times of disaster.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff discussed DHS efforts to increase FBCO participation in the delivery of social and community services, and the importance of FBCO involvement in national preparedness.

Keynote Remarks

Secretary Michael Chertoff
U.S. Department of Homeland Security

“I do appreciate you attending this conference because we are trying very hard to make sure we incorporate faith-based and community organizations into the whole spectrum of our preparedness, response, and recovery efforts. You have already contributed a lot in dealing with various disasters, whether it’s Katrina, or wildfires, tornadoes, or other…natural catastrophes. And so we want to continue to engage you in this process.

The President’s vision for the Faith-Based and Community Initiative is built on the conviction that we will be far more effective at addressing the great challenges we face when government works in close partnership with nonprofit organizations that have a lot of experience and dedication in serving on the front lines.

And we are trying to build on the President’s vision to further integrate the planning and execution of our life-saving mission with the activities not only of our counterparts in government, but our counterparts in the nongovernmental community, namely the faith-based and community organizations.

So that is really what I want to talk to you about briefly today. I cannot image a more opportune time because, first of all, we are in the middle of a very active tornado season, so we don’t need to be reminded of the fact that at a moment’s notice nature can visit some very serious consequences and devastation upon our communities. Second, we are approaching the onset of the hurricane season, which officially kicks off June 1. Although the last two hurricane seasons largely spared the U.S., there is certainly no guarantee that that is going to be the case going forward. We want to be as prepared as possible. And finally, even if we lift our eyes from our own shores overseas, catastrophic events in Myanmar and China really underscore the importance of having an all hands on the deck approach to dealing with disasters.

There is almost nothing that more quickly overwhelms government institutions and more readily demands the participation of volunteers than a natural disaster on the scale of some of what we have seen on the other side of the globe. Of course coming into this process we are very mindful of the lessons learned from the experience of Hurricane Katrina. The White House report on Katrina Lessons Learned specifically emphasized the importance of faith-based and community organizations in emergency preparedness and disaster response efforts. ‘Often these nongovernmental organizations,’ the report said, ‘provide the quickest means of providing local relief, but perhaps most importantly, they provide a compassionate, human face to relief efforts.’

Our own Homeland Security Institute, which will be highlighted here today, also found that faith-based and community organizations undertake a surprisingly large, varied, and demanding set of initiatives with extraordinary effectiveness. And so we want to do everything we can to harness this energy and the broad network of faith-based and community groups into our planning and our execution so that we can bring the maximum resources to bare, most quickly and most effectively, in communities that are afflicted with natural disasters.

So let me give you some specifics about what we have done to build a better and more robust planning and execution capability. First of all, we have retooled FEMA itself. We have added experienced personnel who will have the benefit of having worked with community organizations as they move forward to deal with the responsibilities of a disaster. We have revised the National Response Framework (NRF) to more effectively utilize voluntary organizations as part of the official response effort. The NRF now includes a Volunteer and Donations Annex which is particularly focused on integrating volunteer organizations into our preparedness efforts.

Within the Gulf Region…we have also partnered with numerous faith-based and community organizations assisting in recovery and rebuilding efforts, from Catholic Charities and the Southern Baptist Convention to the Urban League and United Way, as well as a vast array of individual places of worship.

These groups can be credited, in large part, with the sustainable nongovernmental efforts that are furthering recovery and rebuilding. Leading this effort on behalf of the Federal government is Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding, Major General Douglas O’Dell, a former Marine General, who serves as the point of contact for our important work with faith-based and community organizations in the Gulf.

Now, as the President requested and mandated consistent with his vision, in 2006 here at DHS we established the DHS Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. Now under the leadership of John Kim Cook, this office has worked to expand partnerships with many of the NGOs represented here today. John’s team has been working under the FEMA Administrator to identify gaps, work through obstacles, and increase participation and partnership between faith-based and community organizations and the Department. Let me give you a few examples of what they have done.

First of all, our Center for Faith-based and Community Initiatives has hosted numerous half-day emergency preparedness workshops to bring together faith-based and community organizations to partner with State and local emergency management officials in specific urban areas, including Tampa, Charleston, Miami, Houston, and Denver. Nearly 1,000 participants have attended thus far. The workshop will be featured in six additional cities later this year.

Our office has participated in nearly 30 outreach meetings around the country to provide emergency preparedness information and ensure that faith-based and community organizations are included in our decision-making and planning processes.

The Office has collaborated with the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) as well as state groups in DC, Northern Virginia and Maryland, to clarify some of the policy issues relating to the involvement of faith-based and community organizations in disasters in the Nation’s Capitol area.

The Office has informed hundreds of non-profit stakeholders about upcoming opportunities for grant funding as well as the release of the revised National Response Framework. And as they continue to work with Citizen Corps, the President's premier community preparedness and resiliency program, and our Ready Campaign, John’s office… will continue to encourage organizations at the grassroots level to get more involved in preparedness at the local and state level. At every stage in which you touch ordinary individuals, whether it is in the context of religious activities, educational activities, or other kinds of community activities, you have an opportunity to instill in people the recognition that preparedness has to begin at the individual and family level. The more prepared people are, the better they plan, the more they take preparatory steps, the less the burden will be placed upon those who have to respond to assist those who cannot help themselves. So in that sense, it is a civic and moral responsibility for people to engage in a reasonable level of preparedness so that they lift the burden off for those who have to help people who are in dire straights who can’t help themselves.

Let me take the opportunity to talk about some of the specific value that organizations in the faith-based and community arena have added in some of our recent disasters. During the California wildfires that took place last fall, our faith-based and community organizations in California partnered with FEMA’s community relations teams to help provide information to members of the clergy and chaplains on Individual Assistance programs so they could reach out to their parishioners and those they were assisting and give them information about what they could do in order to get the assistance to which they are entitled.

We also worked through FEMA’s Voluntary Agency Liaisons (VALs) to identify faith-based and community organizations supporting the shelter and feeding efforts which were taking place in Southern California. And FEMA supported the VALs to help organize long-term recovery committees, which are often comprised of many faith-based and community organizations to provide long term assistance to individuals and families affected by the fires. Just this past week, the VALs and community relations teams have been on-site both in Oklahoma and Missouri to assist with response and recovery efforts, recognizing that faith-based and community organizations are an important part of their outreach efforts in Oklahoma and Missouri as in other communities while the recovery from the devastating tornadoes continues forward.

Of course I don’t want to make it seem as if all that we do to engage with faith-based and community organizations is disaster and recovery, although that maybe the area in which your activities are the most salient and where you touch the most people. But we are trying to make sure that across the whole spectrum of what we do at DHS is that we are integrating and interacting with faith-based and other nongovernmental organizations to make sure we are being sensitive to the concerns of our various communities and to make sure we are disseminating information about how people can help themselves and what we are going to request people to do in the broadest and most accessible way possible.

Let me give you a few examples:
Our Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties has reached out and engaged with many faith-based and community organizations on security and preparedness issues unrelated to natural disasters. And that is particularly true in our outreach in the Arab, Muslim, Sikh, and South Asian Communities in our post-9/11 world. We have an incident response team that we get networked on the telephone whenever there is a terrorist incident that might concern some of the communities in this country to make sure that everybody has full situational awareness and that we are not allowing people to somehow exploit these incidents for reasons that would be inappropriate.

Our US Citizenship and Immigration Services, which of course has the responsibility of welcoming new citizens to the country, also maintains a community relations program that works directly with faith-based and community organizations.

TSA has worked with community leaders in the Sikh community to refine its security screening procedures for headwear to make sure that we are able to carry out our mission of assuring the security of our aircraft and our transportation systems, but to do it in a way that is sensitive to various cultural factors that might affect the way people present themselves at the airport.

And of course Protective Security Advisors (PSAs) from our Office of Infrastructure Protection visited 82 major Jewish facilities across the United States to convey information about terrorist threats, particularly threats that appear to be increased as we have seen some terrorist activity against Jewish organizations overseas. The PSAs continue to work closely with members of faith-based and community organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League, Jewish Community Centers, and the Secure Community Network as part of their regular mission to assist State and local officials to identify and protect critical infrastructure and key resources against possible terrorist attacks. And as part of this effort, we have conducted vulnerability assessments and reports on religious facilities. We have coordinated buffer zone plans and site assistance visits for over 40 faith-based organization facilities, offering recommendations for enhanced security and best practices, particularly during religious holidays when, as we have sadly seen, some people might be tempted to vent their hatred or their ideological axes to grind against people who are going to worship under their faith.

So we have taken a broad view of what we can be doing, what we ought to be doing in respect to our faith-based and community partnerships across the domain of DHS. We want to continue to work with you to improve this relationship. Among the challenges we have ahead of us are:

• We have to improve credentialing to make it possible for those who are volunteering to be properly credentialed so they can arrive at a place where there is a disaster or some kind of an event and quickly get to work assisting those who need that help.
• We need to further integrate logistics management and, as you know….Aidmatrix [Foundation] is a great step forward. What we really need to do is leverage the capabilities of IT and networking so that we don’t become a clog in the distribution of assistance but rather an enabler. It is kind of like the idea of using eBay as a way of getting those who want to give assistance and those who need assistance together. And if we can get out of the way of that process and simply create a framework in which you can provide that assistance by using the tools of the internet then I think that is a very positive thing and so we want to encourage the development and the enhancement of this kind of tool.
• We want to continue to work with NGOs to lay out best practices so that you can learn some of the lessons we have learned because each time we go into a disaster we are presented with new challenges and we have some very important lessons that we learn about how we can better response.

The bottom line is, and this is vividly illustrated by what is going on in China right now as we speak, in a disaster, particularly one of catastrophic proportions, we cannot afford to leave any resources or tools on the table. What we have got to do is get everything we have from the level of the Federal government down to the level of individual neighborhoods… into the fray to get as much assistance as effectively as possible to the people who are in need.

And obviously a critical part of that element is the very strong network of faith-based and community organizations around this country that have, everyday, carried out an aid and assistance mission and therefore have the people who are dedicated, have the knowledge of the community, and have an understanding of how to deliver this kind of assistance with a kind face. That is very much what we need to do as we respond to both the kinds of events we can foresee and the kinds of events perhaps we cannot foresee.

Of course there is a lot more work to be done and we are not going to get everything perfect overnight. But by continuing to work together in a partnership mode, by continuing to use our FBCI Office as a kind of one-stop shop with FEMA, by continuing to include the role of these volunteer organizations in our national response plan and framework, I think we can maximize the opportunity that you will have to contribute and maximize the benefit that we get from having you as partners in what is truly the work of the spirit, which is giving assistance to those who need it when they are in dire straights.

Thank you very much for the work you are undertaking. Thank you very much for being here. I hope we have very few disasters to work together on over the next year, but my experience and my common sense tell me that we are likely to have more than a few as we have already had this year. So we look forward to standing shoulder to shoulder with you in trying to help people who need that help more than anyone else. So thank you very much for your work.”

The Role of Faith-Based and Community Organizations in Emergency Preparedness

In February 2003, DHS launched the Ready Campaign (Ready)as a national public service advertising campaign designed to educate and empower Americans to prepare for and respond to emergencies including natural disasters and potential terrorist attacks. The goal of the campaign is to get the public involved and ultimately increase the level of basic preparedness across the nation. Ready and its Spanish language version Listo ask individuals to do three key things: get an emergency supply kit, make a family emergency plan, and be informed about the different types of emergencies that could occur and their appropriate responses. The campaign distributes messages through television, radio, print, outdoor and Internet public service advertisements (PSAs) developed and produced by the Advertising Council; brochures; www.ready.gov and www.listo.gov Web sites; toll-free phone lines 1-800-BE-READY and 1-888-SE-LI­STO; and partnerships with a wide variety of public and private sector organizations.

The Ad Council has declared Ready one of the most successful campaigns in its more than 60-year history. Since its launch, the Campaign has gener­ated more than $703.2 million in donated media support. As of March 31, 2008, the Web site has received more than 2.1 billion hits and 28.9 million unique visitors; the toll-free numbers have received more than 333,000 calls; and more than 23.4 million Ready materials have been requested or downloaded from the Web site.

According to a national survey conducted by The Ad Council in August 2007, respondents that said it is “very important” for all Americans to be prepared increased from 60 percent in 2006 to 66 percent in 2007. From 2005 to 2007, the proportion of Americans who have taken anysteps to prepare for a disaster rose 9 points, from 45 percent to 54 percent.

In spite of this progress, the survey revealed there is still a long way to go before all Americans are prepared for emergencies. Erin Streeter, director of the Ready Campaign, explained, “We’re seeing still a lot of complacency out there among Americans believing that it’s just not going to happen to them or if it does happen there will be someone there to take care of them and, unfortunately, that is just not the case. Americans and all of us need to remember that we are going to be the first line of defense in any type of emergency and typically it may be that first responders cannot get to you in the first 72 hours until your area has been deemed safe. So, therefore, it is important [that] Americans are taking steps to prepare and educate themselves.”

In 2004 DHS launched Ready Business, an extension of the Ready Campaign that focuses on business preparedness. Ready Business helps owners and managers of small-to medium-sized businesses prepare their employees, operations, and assets in the event of an emergency. In addition, the Department launched Ready Kids in 2006, a tool to help parents and teachers educate children ages 8–12 about emergencies and how they can help get their family prepared.

Ready relies on FBCO partners to help spread the message of personal and community responsibility. Streeter told the Roundtable, “[FBCOs] have the reach and the capacity to talk to people, to educate people and for them to really see what you’re saying and empower them…[FBCOs] have such an advantage because you are on the ground, you are in so many communities, and your reach is so far and wide.”

The following panelists presented their organizations’ efforts in emergency preparedness and response, serving both in partnership with the Federal government and the private sector.

Panelist: Jennifer Posten
Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston

Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston (IM) is the oldest interfaith organization in Houston. IM brings together people of diverse faith traditions for dialogue, collaboration, and service. Through various programs, IM works to dispel preju­dices and build acceptance and respect among faith traditions through education, consulta­tion, and promotion of interfaith activity. IM is the largest provider of Meals on Wheels in Texas, serving over 4,000 seniors every day. IM also provides refugees from more than 25 countries a fresh start in Houston through its Refugee Services Program.

IM has participated in DHS’s Ready Campaign through its Ready Houston! Program and Jennifer Posten, manager of Ready Houston!, explained that while IM does not provide direct services in the aftermath of disaster, “we feel that our role is that of conduit, convener, coordinator, and honest broker between faith-based organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and governmental organizations.” As part of its communication strategy, Ready Houston! provides annual symposiums and conferences for Houston’s faith communities on everything from hurricane preparedness to pandemic influenza. In a spirit of collaboration, Ready Houston! convenes the Houston Interfaith Disaster Response Alliance (HIDRA), which brings together a broad cross-section of Houston’s faith community to develop and implement a unified response to local disasters. IM provides HIDRA’s houses of worship with seminars on business contingency planning and risk analysis. IM is currently collecting asset inventories of HIDRA’s houses of worship, which will provide the community with an inventory of personnel, supplies, and equipment throughout the city. Ready Houston also holds a seat at the Harris County Joint Information Center and the Regional MACC during incidents of national significance.

Through the Volunteer Leadership Corps, Ready Houston! recruits, trains, and mobilizes volunteers to respond to the aftermath of a disaster. IM offers awareness and volunteer management trainings, and supports many of its partners in disaster response by assisting with the staffing and operation of volunteer reception centersand housing the City’s donation call center at IM.

Panelist: Kary Kingsland
Convoy of Hope

Convoy of Hope, a 501(c)(3) faith-based organiza­tion, serves in the United States and around the world providing disaster relief, building supply lines, and coordinating outreach programs that break the cycle of poverty. Convoy of Hope brings together government, business, civic groups, and churches of different faiths, and has been very active in large-scale disaster response. Recent projects include the tsunami in Southeast Asia, where it provided hundreds of thousands of pounds of relief supplies to help victims with immediate disaster relief and teams that assisted with long-term response efforts. After Hurricane Katrina, Convoy of Hope delivered more than 800 tractor-trailer loads of food, water, ice, and other supplies to the storm’s victims. In addition, the organization supplied countless teams to rebuild homes and churches. Convoy of Hope is a member of the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD), and has partnerships with several State and local governments. Through corporate partnerships, Convoy of Hope is able to convert each donated dollar into five to eight dollars of actual relief product that reaches people in need. Since 1994, Convoy of Hope has worked in over 650 communities across the country, engaging roughly 350,000 volunteers.

Convoy of Hope’s newest initiative is the H.O.P.E. Begins Here (Helping Others Prepare for Emergencies) campaign. The campaign provides platforms for different community caregivers to meet, network, collaborate, and partner on emergency and disaster preparedness and response, including churches and local emergency managers. H.O.P.E. Begins Here has a growing faith-based network through which it has mobilized thousands of churches and volunteers.

Kary Kingsland, U.S. director of Convoy Hope, told the Roundtable H.O.P.E. Begins Here was born out of the field work and experiences of the faith-based community during disasters including the terrorist attacks on September 11th and Hurricane Katrina. Kingsland explained, “For as many churches as were engaged, we found as many churches that were not engaged. The doors were closed, the lights were turned off. We found out that is wasn’t that they didn’t care; it was because they did not know what to do. They didn’t know how to respond, it was outside of the framework of what is normal for them. So being a grassroots organization and working in the field, we felt that there was a need to bring together existing services and introduce them to the faith-based community.”

According to Kingsland, the campaign quickly discovered that most church leaders are unfamiliar with or misunderstand the roles of disaster response organizations and government agencies. Kingsland explained, “Most churches are unaware there is an emergency manager in the town, nor have they met that individual. They are not aware of the framework of what both camps are doing.” As a result, many faith-based leaders lose the capacity to help the community when disaster strikes. When unprepared and unaffiliated FBOs do try to respond, they can create confusion and added pressure for emergency managers. “There are some basic barriers there that have kept collaboration/cooperation from happening amongst the faith-based community,” Kingsland added.

To break those barriers, the H.O.P.E. Begins Here campaign conducts a training series of three events in cooperation with Federal agencies, national partners, and local contributors. The first event, a faith-based preparedness symposium for church leaders, focuses on building resilience in the faith-based sector and identifying ministry opportunities for local churches in times of disaster and emergency. This symposium casts a vision for faith-based leaders and parishioners to implement the small steps that will result in big benefits to a community during a time of disaster. The next seminar focuses on business preparedness, and trains business, faith-based, and other sector leaders in business continuity, risk management, and education, as well as building sector and community resilience. Finally, a family preparedness festival teaches area residents how to better prepare themselves, their loved ones, neighbors, and their community to be self-sufficient during the first 72 hours to 7 days following a major disaster and the steps associated with recovery. The festival includes agency and vendor exhibits, information about a variety of disasters, breakout sessions, equipment displays, educational tools, volunteer recruitment opportunities, and more.

Kingsland said these events provide a “platform that allows many caregivers to come together and share their expertise, their insight, their resources, and provide training.”

Panelist: Mary Marr
Christian Emergency Network

The Christian Emergency Network (CEN) is a Christian collaboration and communication disaster-focused network with over 7,000 organizations and 45,000 local churches comprised of more than 80 denominations. Founded in 2001, CEN has 250 reporters nationwide who provide critical information to 1,600 print outlets, 1,200 radio outlets, two national satellite feeds, and a Web site that engages its network through daily automated news updates.

Mary Marr, CEN founder and chairman, said the network was founded to address two key areas of need within the disaster response arena, including “greater communications, which is often the weakest link that we have in disaster response,” and better collaboration, “especially within the faith-based community.” Marr noted that “local readiness is the most cost effective, relationally impactful, and often the quickest,” way to reach people in need during a disaster. To better prepare communities for an emergency, CEN uses its communication system to “draw alongside the national preparedness committee to make our group of Christians more aware of their personal responsibilities, ready to care for their own need, as well as the needs of others within their local area,” according to Marr.

During a disaster, CEN has a collaborative infrastructure in place to reach 85 percent of American households within 60 minutes of a major incident. During Hurricane Katrina, CEN’s Web site received 20 million hits a day. Marr explained, “One radio interview reached 6 million listeners regarding volunteerism and the importance of keeping the light on when the lights were going off with secular media. It’s a very key thing for the faith-based community. CEN alerts reached Katrina victims to evacuate when all other sources failed, somehow those powered-up laptops kept on working and people knew then that they had to get out, when before they didn’t know.”

CEN’s communication infrastructure costs $20,000 a month to operate. Marr said its open source technology allows CEN “to have an interactive Web application that is stable, cost-effective…and is easy to maintain.” Six staff members and a volunteer base operate the system, providing daily public service announcements (PSAs) that include non-activation practice readiness tips, and, in the event of an emergency, pre-recorded PSAs that media outlets can immediately download once resources are made available.

Panelist: Paul Goldenberg
Secure Community Network

The Secure Community Network (SCN) is nonprofit organization serving the Jewish community in matters of communal safety, security, and all-hazards preparedness and response. Created by the Conference of Presidents, United Jewish Communities, and the American Jew­ish Committee, SCN has established a coordinated approach for community wide notifications, crisis management, and security measures emphasizing common standards for enabling Jewish communities throughout North America to embrace and evidence a culture of security awareness, preparedness, and disaster recovery and resiliency.

National Director Paul Goldenberg said SCN was founded in 2004 in response to “the President’s and the Secretary of Homeland Security’s call for American citizens of all faiths to rise to the challenge of securing our homeland.” SCN has since become a trusted partner and advisor for the Jewish community, law enforcement, and government agencies across the country, providing countless con­sultations, distributing important, timely, and credible communications, and assisting dozens of communities and organizations in preparing and mobilizing their constituents. Goldenberg said SCN focuses on disaster and emergency preparedness because “having a plan, testing a plan, and making sure that plan works is literally going to be the difference between life and death for all of our communities.” Shortly after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, Goldenberg contacted the city’s Jewish leadership to learn how disaster recovery and response plans were unfolding. One leader responded to Goldenberg, “I think our plans are floating down the Mississippi River right now.”

SCN employs state of the art technologies such as NC4, the National Center for Crisis and Continuity Coordination, a web-based platform that tracks, in near real-time, a wide range of natural disasters, incidents, and events impacting communities across the country. SCN works with key representatives from DHS to identify and mobilize clergy, and coordinates access to staging areas and appropriate government officials to assess damage, recover critical assets, and establish back-up operations.

In 2005, a group of terrorists plotted to attack Jewish worshipers at two synagogues in Los Angeles. The plot was foiled within weeks of the planned attack, creating significant alarm within the Jewish community and beyond. As a result, SCN engaged with the local authorities and the local Jewish federation to communicate accurate information regarding the plot and subsequent arrests. Goldenberg explained, “Misinformation and/or no information often leads to panic and confusion,” adding, “Rumor control is really a tremendous concern. It has to be real information, credible information and that is why working with Federal and State government is so essential.” SCN’s collaborative effort was the inspiration for establishing the Los Angeles Security Advisory Council, a group of community organizations, local government, and law enforcement agencies coming together to address community-wide safety and security concerns in a spirit of cooperation.

SCN serves the American Jewish com­munity as an advisor, advocate, and resource for raising community awareness, building capacity across public and private sectors, and sharing best practices and lessons learned.

Goldenberg concluded, “Recent catastrophes have reaffirmed that local, state or regional public-private partnerships are vital to filling gaps in homeland security and disaster response that neither government nor faith-based and community organizations can manage alone. Primarily through public-private partnerships, information sharing, and robust crisis communication networks, we now have the opportunity to actively identify and share needed resources during and after such events.”

Technology as an Engine for Community Solutions in Times of Disaster

Sharing and mobilizing product, human, and financial resources is paramount to helping those in need. Aidmatrix, an international 501(c)(3) organization, activates these resources to create a global aid network built on a partnership of innovative technology and powerful opportunity. Aidmatrix delivers solution tools to control the flow of resources into areas of disaster and need. Deploying supply-chain technology, Aidmatrix leverages public-and private-sector resources with charitable organizations in relief services, mobilizing more than $1.5 billion in aid annually. Aidmatrix works with more than 35,000 nonprofits, companies, and government agencies in six continents, impacting the lives of more than 65 million people.

Scott McCallum, former governor of Wisconsin and president and CEO of the Aidmatrix Foundation, said Aidmatrix was founded with the support of corporations such as Microsoft, Dell, and a number of other companies “to take state of the art technology to help empower nonprofit organizations.” Although not widely known, Governor McCallum said most food donations distributed in the U.S. go through Aidmatrix, which serves as the “intel to help empower you to magnify your donations.” Aidmatrix’s national donations management network provides a system through which the private and public sectors can establish a connection between any given need, and the goods and services available to meet that need. Governor McCallum explained, “We need to remember that about 50 percent of product and volunteer services in a disaster or secondary disaster are things that are coming in that are not needed. So part of the system is that nothing ever moves from a donor in the system, warehousing, or transportation until a connection is made for the product and connection is made with need.”

Aidmatrix is used at the Federal level by FEMA, and at the state level through the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD). A state-driven system, Aidmatrix state members represent over half of the U.S. population. Through Web sites tailored according to their respective needs, states provide a place for donors to offer financial and product support, as well as volunteer registration opportunities. Faith-based and community organizations can use the network to connect with other FBCOs, enhancing preparedness, response, and recovery at the grassroots level while working within a national information system framework.

The Vital Role of FBCOs in Disaster Response and Recovery

Panelist: Wendy Spencer
Volunteer Florida: The Governor’s Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service

The Governor’s Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service, Volunteer Florida, was established in 1994 by the Florida Legislature to administer grants under the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993. The Commission grants funds to Florida AmeriCorps and National Service programs; encour­ages volunteerism for everyone from young adults to seniors to people with disabilities; coordinates volunteerism in emergency management and preparedness; supports the Governor’s priorities through creating innova­tive volunteer programs; and helps to strengthen and expand volunteer centers in Florida. Commissioners drive the mission of Volunteer Florida and participate actively in volunteer and service opportunities. The Commission is a diverse, bipartisan group of citizens appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Florida Senate. As part of the State Emergency Response Team, Volunteer Florida plays the lead role in coordinating volunteers and donations during times of disaster. Along with partner organizations, faith-based organi­zations, and countless volunteers, Volunteer Florida helps Floridians recover when disaster strikes.

Wendy Spencer, CEO of Volunteer Florida, remembers that after Hurricane Andrew struck Florida in 1992, the volunteer and donation response was so poorly coordinated that it created a secondary disaster. As a result, Spencer explained, “We took the Commission and used it as a platform to be the coordinator for volunteers and donations in the State of Florida.” Since then, many other states have followed suit, creating state service commissions that often take the lead in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. Spencer said these commissions are a great resource for FBCOs interested in becoming involved in disaster relief efforts. Spencer encouraged FBCOs “to make a case for why you are important in the states you work in or nationally…because there is great interest in wanting to take a lead role or at least help you help others in your state.” Thorough documentation is the best way to establish a case for increased FBCO participation in state efforts. Spencer explained, “Several people have mentioned how important documentation is. And not only in post-disaster documenting of what you have done, the value you had, the people, the resources and services, but document and tell us what you are doing now. What resources you have ready to go. What the number of volunteers [is] and the services you provide.”

Florida publishes a statewide catalog of FBCOs and the types of work and services they provide, allowing the state to call upon them for specific needs in the event of an emergency. Spencer explained, “If we don’t know you and we don’t know what your assets are, we can’t call on you to help.” FBCOs can reach out to their governor’s office, State commission, or VOAD to get linked into the State network. However the connection is made, Spencer encouraged FBCOs to “be vocal about what you have to offer, don’t be shy about it, and publicize it.”

Panelist: Penny Dendy
Volunteer Mobile, Inc., Alabama

Volunteer Mobile, Inc. is a nonprofit, community–based organization affiliated with the Points of Light Foundation, Hands On Network, and United Way of Southwest Alabama. Volunteer Mobile is identified in Mobile County’s Emergency Operations Plan as the single point of contact for voluntary organizations in a disaster. Volunteer Mobile operates reception centers that coordinate spontaneous individual and group volunteers in response and recovery efforts to better utilize and screen volunteers. Executive Director Penny Dendy explained, “We have [volunteers] register with us. They have to sign a pledge saying they will not be compensated for the work they do and will not ask to be compensated. They are given assignments, they are given safety training, and they are given credentials and they are sent out to work with people who will supervise them.” The Salvation Army, Red Cross, and other organizations send their volunteers to be credentialed and tracked by Volunteer Mobile, which creates a central database recording what volunteers are doing at any given time. This system avoids duplication of services, and positions volunteers where the need is greatest. Volunteer Mobile also coordinates the South Alabama AmeriCorps Emergency Response Team, a group of trained AmeriCorps members who can be deployed throughout the United States to assist with emergency response and recovery.

After Hurricane Ivan in 2004, Volunteer Mobile partnered with the Voluntary Agency Liaison from FEMA to establish a Long-Term Recovery Committee (LTRC) consisting of 11 FBCOs that provided volunteers and resources to assist those in need. After receiving training, volunteers provided case work to each household requesting assistance. Volunteer Mobile’s partners assessed damages, assisted families in developing their own recovery plan, provided funding and labor to repair and rebuild homes. In early 2005, the Alabama Department of Human Resources signed a $1.1 million contract with Volunteer Mobile to fund home repairs and mobile home replacement in South Alabama.

After Hurricane Katrina, Volunteer Mobile coordinated the volunteer effort and deployed over 3,000 volunteers during the first month after the storm hit, and convened a LTRC, which consisted of 65 organizations. Volunteer Mobile received more than $27 million in grants from Social Service Block Grants, Bush-Clinton Funds, and the Governor’s Relief Fund, and as of May 2008, has completed over 1,200 home repairs and renovations.

Panelist: Don Gann
Mississippi Baptist Convention Board

Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) is a partner­ship ministry of the state Baptist conventions and the North American Mission Board (NAMB) of the South­ern Baptist Convention. The purpose of SBDR is to provide physical, emo­tional, and spiritual help to victims of natural and man-made disasters, including floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, and terrorist attacks in North America and overseas. Formed in 1967, disaster relief units are owned and staffed by Southern Bap­tist churches, regional Baptist associations, and state Baptist conventions.

When Hurricane Katrina hit the coast of Mississippi, 131 of the 160 Baptist churches located along the 90-mile long coast were damaged or destroyed. Donn Gann, assistant director of disaster relief for the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board, worked with SBDR during the aftermath of the disaster. He explained, “Disasters are all local…. we determined that our best move would be to go in and help stabilize those churches, so that those churches could meet together and somehow continue ministering to each other and to their communities, so that they would continue to be the foundation and the stronghold that they are in those areas. It was interesting to me that after we had begun our opportunity of trying to work with these churches, that one of the churches’ signs that someone had just hand painted said ‘Building destroyed, but the church survives.’”

Aid received by the Mississippi Baptist Convention was delivered through local congregations because, according to Gann, they were “much more aware of the people who not only needed the help the most but who were in danger of falling through the cracks.” With the help of SBDR, the Red Cross, Salvation Army, America’s Second Harvest and other organizations, Baptists provided over 3.5 million meals to people living on the coast and over 100,000 volunteers. Gann said the Convention’s volunteer leadership utilizes online FEMA and Red Cross training programs because training is “a big part of disaster preparation,” helping volunteers “express the compassion that they have that comes with their faith.” Gann added that disaster preparedness involves information sharing among other FBCO organizations within the community as well as the agencies that make response and recovery plans, “so that we can share with them in advance what we have that is available.”

Panelist: John Hope Bryant
Operation HOPE, Inc.

Operation HOPE, Inc. (OHI) is a nonprofit, public benefit organization, founded immediately after the civil unrest of April 29, 1992 in Los Angeles. Founder and Chairman John Hope Bryant said people told him his idea of creating a social investment bank to bring self-sufficiency to American’s inner-city communities “would never work.” Bryant started OHI with a $1,000 budget and one employee. To date, OHI has raised $400 million for the poor, operates in 51 U.S. communities and in South Africa, has 400 large financial institutions as partners, and roughly 100 government partners. Through ongoing collaborations and long-term partnerships with leading government, private sector, and community interests, OHI provides financial literacy and economic empowerment programs to communities in need.

OHI had an office at the Bankers Trust Building in New York City before it was destroyed during the September 11 terrorist attacks. Bryant said after watching the destruction on television, “It hit me. After you have a physical disaster, you can have an economic disaster…. After a disaster you have a car loan but no car anymore, a home loan and no home anymore, a small business loan and no small business anymore.” Bryant went to DHS and FEMA to develop financial and economic guidelines for disaster planning and recovery. On September 27, 2004, DHS’s Citizen Corps and OHI signed an official affiliate partnership and released the Emergency Financial First Aid Kit (EFFAK), which provides guidance on simple steps that help maintain financial stability in the event of an emergency. EFFAK is free and helps individuals identify and organize key financial records, encouraging people to make copies of their tax returns, social security cards, and other crucial documents that will help them get reestablished after a disaster.

Under the HOPE Coalition America division, OHI operates Banking on Our Future, which has taught financial literacy to 280,000 children nationwide, and HOPE Centers, which are inner city banking centers that Bryant described as “a cross between a bank branch and a Kinko’s for economic empowerment.” Bryant added that HOPE Centers are “a one-stop shop to change your life from check cash customers to banking customers, renting customers into homeowners, small business dreamers to small business owners and entrepreneurs. So where there is no bank, we bank it. We’re the first nonprofit to build a bank branch and sell it to a bank.”

Since Hurricane Katrina, HOPE Coalition America has helped 100,000 survivors; conducted 375 community preparedness and recovery seminars; assisted 3,877 small businesses in the Gulf; assisted 19,919 homeowners in Mississippi in partnership with the State of Mississippi; and has received 55,050 calls through its National HOPE Call Center’s call line. In addition, OHI recruited 1,500 virtual financial volunteers based around the country that can be mobilized at any time to help with Gulf Coast issues. Bryant said Microsoft created the software to enable bankers and financial advisors to help hurricane survivors mitigate their financial obligations and negotiate with their lenders. Bryant explained, “So if you’re sitting at a bank in Florida or a bank in New York, [and] you’ve got four hours available, you can go online and secure a server, pull up Mary Jones’ case file, call Mary Jones on her cell phone, which is probably the only way you can reach her, cross section her lender, negotiate on her behalf, give her dignity back, renegotiate her loan for her home or her small business or her credit card, document the file, close the file, and go back to work.”

OHI, the Bush Clinton Katrina Fund, and FEMA sponsored a seminar in Gulfport, Mississippi, to explain how Katrina survivors can claim Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). Bryant said people in the Gulf Region were concerned with getting their FEMA check and failing to recognize the other financial opportunities available to them. Bryant explained, “One out of four Americans who qualified for EITC last year never filed for it. This is not a hand out. This is dignity. You worked. It’s yours. We sent $9 billion back to the Federal government last year because we never asked for what was ours… 88 percent of the people who are in Gulfport qualify for EITC. We returned 7 million dollars in EITC refunds and 11 million dollars in tax refunds in four months.”

Heralding Unheard Voices: The Value of Faith-Based Organizations and Non-Governmental Organizations During Disaster

In response to disasters, faith-based organizations (FBOs) and secular non-governmental organizations (NGOs) undertake a surprisingly large, varied, and demanding set of activities with extraordinary effec­tiveness. Within government, these organizations are largely unheralded; the roles of FBOs and NGOs within the tapestry of resource providers are not well understood.

Following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Homeland Security Institute (HSI) researchers analyzed the performance of FBOs and NGOs in the wake of that disaster. Research methodology included interviews, a survey, and data collected at a conference. The institute’s team contacted 1,082 FBOs and NGOs, conducted 252 phone interviews and 46 in-person in-depth interviews. The team surveyed 694 organizations and convened a conference in Baton Rouge (233 attendees) to validate initial findings. “Heralding Unheard Voices: The Role of Faith-Based and Non-Governmental Organizations During Disaster” presents the findings of that research.

Researchers found that FBOs and NGOs provided significant services in the following ten areas:

• Shelter. 79 percent of the organizations provided shelter. 65 percent sheltered evacuees. 51 percent sheltered relief workers and volunteers.
• Food. 85 percent provided food services. 65 percent prepared meals. 69 percent served meals. 43 percent distributed meals.
• Medical. 62 percent provided medical services. 35 percent provided advanced medical care. 43 percent provided basic medical care. 30 percent assisted with prescriptions.
• Personal Hygiene. 88 percent provided some form of personal hygiene service. 80 percent assembled or distributed toiletries kits. 50 percent provided laundry services. 50 percent provided showers.
• Mental Health and Spiritual Services. 87 percent of organizations provided some form of mental health or spiritual care service. 58 percent provided mental health services. 81 percent provided spiritual counseling.
• Physical Reconstruction. 54 percent of organizations were involved in physical reconstruction. 43 percent conducted debris or tree removal. 34 percent conducted mud removal and clean-up. 47 percent provided home repair services, e.g., gutting or roof repair.
• Logistics Management and Services. 80 percent of organizations provided some form of logistics management and services. 53 percent conducted assessments. 72 percent transported or distributed supplies. 53 percent warehoused supplies.
• Transportation. 61 percent of organizations provided some form of transportation service. 42 percent shuttled evacuees. 38 percent shuttled volunteers and relief workers. 37 percent evacuated and/or relocated evacuees.
• Children’s Services. 50 percent of organizations provided child care or educational services. 24 percent established a formal child care program. 46 percent provided educational services.
• Case Management. 92 percent provided some form of case management. 79 percent provided information. 87 percent referred evacuees to others to obtain services. 63 percent assisted evacuees in completing forms/applications. 71 percent provided direct financial relief to evacuees.

The FBOs’ and NGOs’ successes in providing these services appear in stark contrast to the many chronicled deficiencies and fail­ures of government during the 2005 hurricane season. In the midst of all the horrible things that went wrong in Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, theirs is an untold story that exemplifies the best of America.

Appendix A: Federal Efforts in Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery

Corporation for National and Community Service

Since August 2005, the Corporation for National and Community Service has provided more than $130 mil­lion worth of resources to Gulf Coast states recovering from the devastating series of hurricanes. Working in cooperation with the Red Cross, FEMA, and local and state authorities, nearly 92,000 national service volun­teers have contributed more than 3.5 million hours to the relief, recovery, and rebuilding effort. They also have coordinated an additional 260,000 community volunteers. Activities included supporting shelter operations and housing placement; establishing call centers and warehousing sites; assisting with case work and benefits coordination; setting up school and youth programs; blue roofing, debris removal, mucking out homes, and construction of new homes for low-income families. As a result of its experience with hurricane relief and recovery, the Corporation has established a number of new procedures to provide more effec­tive and timely response to disasters under authority of FEMA mission assignments. As of August 2007, trained AmeriCorps teams have been deployed under mission assignments to declared major disasters to respond to winter ice storms, tornados, and flooding and to assist in the recovery efforts. The Corpora­tion continues to shift its resources where possible to support a variety of disaster preparedness and response activities.

Strategic Initiative on Disasters: In June 2007, the Corpora­tion’s Board of Directors charged the agency’s CEO to work with the Office of Management and Budget to add a new strategic initiative on disaster preparedness and relief to the plan that guides the agency through 2010.

Senior Corps: More than 17,000 Senior Corps volunteers have served in disaster relief efforts, providing food and shelter, coordinating the distribution of donated goods, managing community volunteers, and more.

AmeriCorps State and National: More than 85 grantee programs of AmeriCorps State and National, collectively representing 6,400 AmeriCorps members have pro­vided nearly one million hours of hurricane relief and recovery assistance in the Gulf region, many through FEMA mission assignments. The Corporation also provided more than $66.5 million to bring thousands of additional AmeriCorps members to the Gulf region through fiscal year 2009.

AmeriCorps NCCC: More than 2,900 AmeriCorps NCCC members have served on more than 500 separate disaster services projects in the Gulf Coast region since September 2005, in coordination with such groups as the Salvation Army, Red Cross, the Army Corps of Engineers, and various state service commissions. In all, NCCC members have contributed more than 1.4 million hours of service, valued at $26.4 million. They have assisted 2.9 million people, trained and supervised more than 185,000 community volun­teers, completed nearly 13,000 damage assessments, refurbished more than 6,500 homes, served 1.3 million meals, and distributed more than 2,200 tons of food.

AmeriCorps VISTA: More than 420 full-time Ameri­Corps VISTA members have served in the Gulf Coast region, building the capacity of nonprofit organiza­tions that help low-income people out of poverty. In addition, through its Summer Associate program, VISTA sent 125 members to the New Orleans area to staff free or low-cost summer camps for thousands of children that are operated by community organiza­tions still recovering from Hurricane Katrina.

Learn and Serve America: Tens of thousands of students supported by Learn and Serve America raise funds and items needed for hurricane relief, assembled and distributed disaster relief kits, and traveled to the Gulf region to help in the recovery effort.

Challenge Grant Program: The Corporation revised its 2005 Challenge Grant competition to focus on disaster relief, resulting in the approval of four million in six multi-state projects to recruit 72,000 volunteers, with an emphasis on baby boomers.

“Skilled Service in the Gulf” Grants: In June 2007, the Corporation announced that Habitat for Humanity, Xavier University in Louisiana, and Rebuilding Together were selected to receive awards totaling $900,000 to engage skilled volunteers in providing disaster recovery assistance to the Gulf States. Skilled construction volunteers lead lesser-skilled volunteers and handle the most challenging aspects of rebuilding.

National Response Plan: The Corporation continues to work with the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA on their redrafting of the National Response Plan, noting how national service programs can provide additional value in the areas of volunteer manage­ment, mass care, and infrastructure support.

Ties To Disaster Organizations: In January 2007, the Corporation signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the national Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster to enable smarter, faster cooperation between the Corporation and the group’s members, including Catholic Charities, Salvation Army, Volunteers of America and the American Red Cross.

Disaster Institute: In May 2007, the Corporation hosted a national Disaster Institute to help state service com­missions and AmeriCorps grantees become more active in state preparedness and response.

About the Corporation: The Corporation for National and Community Service improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. Each year, the Corporation provides opportunities for two million Americans of all ages and backgrounds to serve their communities and country through Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America. Together with the USA Freedom Corps, the Corporation is working to build a culture of citizenship, service, and responsibility in America.

For general information about the Corporation for National and Community Service and its programs, visit www.nationalservice.gov

U.S. Small Business Administration

When a disaster strikes, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) makes disaster loans to homeowners, renters, non-farm businesses of all sizes, and nonprofit organizations. By providing disaster assistance in the form of loans that are repaid to the U.S. Treasury, SBA’s disaster loan program helps reduce Federal disaster costs compared to other forms of assistance such as grants.

Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma in 2005 were SBA’s largest disasters; we approved more than 160,000 disaster loans totaling almost eleven billion. In these catastrophic events we made disaster loans to 873 non­profit organizations totaling over $357 million, which included loan approvals to: (1) 228 religious organizations totaling over $64.6 million, (2) 47 private primary and secondary schools totaling over $26 mil­lion, and (3) 9 private colleges and universities totaling over $9.4 million.

SBA can lend up to $1.5 million to non-profit orga­nizations for their uncompensated disaster-related losses at an interest rate of 4 percent or less, with a loan term of up to 30 years. Loans can be used to repair or replace real estate, inventory, equip­ment, leasehold improvements, etc. SBA may be able to provide funds for code required upgrades, mitigation measures, relocation, and refi­nancing of existing liens.

When a disaster is declared, SBA deploys person­nel to the impacted community and works directly with victims to assist with the application and loan closing process. Outreach efforts also include direct communications with organizations in the impacted communities. SBA participates in forums and community meetings, often hosted by faith-based organizations, in an effort to assure that the organizations and their members are aware of the assistance available to disaster victims through SBA.

For the latest information on SBA’s Disaster Assistance program, visit the website at http://www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance/index.html

USA Freedom Corps

The newly revised National Response Framework (NRF) rec­ognizes the critical nature of managing volunteers and donations in disaster response. USA Freedom Corps has mobilized a disaster working group that has pro­vided policy guidance for strengthening and improv­ing a multi-sector response. This advice was included in the NRF, which is the blueprint for national disaster response procedures. The NRF incorporates the important role volunteers play in responding to a disaster and how to engage volunteers to create a unified and coordinated disaster response plan.

Following the Gulf Coast hurricanes, over 1.5 million Americans volunteered in the Gulf, and millions of dollars and in-kind services flooded the region. The impact of continued preparedness training and build­ing community level partnerships cannot be under­stated. From support of first responders, to providing hands-on help to survivors and evacuees, to building capacity to enable more volunteers to serve in the region, USA Freedom Corps is at the center of these conversations, and has the partner capacity through www.volunteer.gov, Citizen Corps and the Corporation for National and Community Service to play a key role in managing the flow of volunteers and donations in times of disaster, both domestic and internationally.

At www.volunteer.gov, volunteers can tailor a volunteer activity to their strengths and interests. During a disaster, USA Freedom Corps provides a central point of information where people can donate money to disaster relief organizations and find ways to help in the relief and recovery, for both domestic and interna­tional disasters. USA Freedom Corps also works with leading volunteer organizations, including the Red Cross and National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters, to best address the immediate needs of those who were affected by disaster.

USA Freedom Corps is an office of the White House created by President Bush to strengthen the spirit of volunteering and civic engagement in America. For more information about answering the President’s Call to Service, visit www.volunteer.gov.

U.S. Agency for International Development

The U.S. Agency for International Development is the primary Federal arm for providing assistance and response to disasters outside of the United States. The Office of U.S. For­eign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) is the office within USAID responsible for facilitating and coordinating U.S. Government emergency assistance overseas. USAID is a signatory agency to the National Response Plan (NRP) and was called upon to respond to the Gulf Coast and Hurricane Katrina because of their high level of expertise in disaster response. After Katrina, the USAID OFDA coordi­nated targeted responses in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.

Those involved in disaster response represent the very best examples of compassion, courage, and profes­sionalism. In 2006, USAID’s OFDA responded to over 74 disasters affecting more than 173 million people in 55 countries. In every response, OFDA strives to promote local and national self-sufficiency in disaster preparedness and manage­ment. Whenever possible, OFDA builds upon and strengthens the capacity of established national and regional disaster management institutions, many of which have the ability to meet most emergency needs.

Disaster Relief
At the time of a disaster, USAID is equipped to immediately respond providing food, water and other supplies in coordination with other world donors. In response to Cyclone Nargis in Burma, the U.S. Gov­ernment provided more than $16.3 million of assis­tance within a few days. A USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) coordinated USG assistance from Thailand until they receive approval from the Government of Burma to enter the country. On May 12, the first airlift of USAID commodities was allowed to land in Burma.

OFDA welcomes concept papers and/or proposals from interested NGOs that prioritize the following sectors: emergency provision of water, sanitation and hygiene, emergency health interventions, temporary shelter and other non-food items, and quick impact income generation activities. OFDA will prioritize its support to NGOs based on their ability to make an immediate impact to affected communities in Burma.

For more information, please see: http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/humanitarian_assistance/disaster_assistance/
countries/burma/template/guidance_submission_proposals.html

International Food Crisis
In the past year, global food prices have increased an average of 43 percent, according to the International Monetary Fund. Since March 2007, wheat, soybean, corn, and rice prices have increased by 146 percent, 71 percent, 41 percent, and 29 percent, respectively, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Approximately 1 billion people—or one sixth of the world’s population—subsist on less than one dollar per day. Of this population, 162 million survive on less than fifty cents per day. At the household level, increasing food prices have the greatest effect on poor and food-insecure populations, who spend 50 or 60 percent or more of their income on food, according to the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

Overall, increased food prices particularly affect devel­oping countries, and the poorest people within those countries, where populations spend a larger propor­tional share of income on basic food commodities.

The United States is the world’s largest food aid donor and provides approximately half of all food aid to populations throughout the world. In recent years, the USG has provided approximately one billion dollars through the U.N. World Food Program (WFP), or approximately 40 percent of all contributions to the organization. The USG contributes significant inter­national food aid through nongovernmental organiza­tions (NGOs). The USG also looks to other donors to provide food aid to populations in need.

Administered by USAID, the P.L. 480 Title II program is the largest U.S. food aid program. In FY 2007, the USG provided more than 2.1 million metric tons (MT) of P.L. 480 Title II commodities, worth $1.54 billion. Food assistance provided under this program reached an estimated 32 million beneficiaries throughout the world. In FY 2007, 54 percent of the USAID Food for Peace Program funding went to FBOs.

On April 14, President George W. Bush directed the Secretary of Agriculture to draw down on the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust to meet emergency food aid needs. With this action, the USG made avail­able an estimated $200 million in emergency food aid through USAID. President Bush requested $770 mil­lion in additional funding to fund short-term humani­tarian assistance programs to preserve price parity in existing food aid programs, provide funds for local purchase of food aid, and support voucher programs in urban areas or help smallholder farmers to obtain fertilizers and seeds in order to plant crops.

The USG is committed to working with other donor countries and international organizations to leverage U.S. funding to combat global food insecurity and price increases. The USG plans to work with WFP, international financial institutions, other G8 members, and NGOs. Other donors are already making contri­butions to support urgent humanitarian and develop­ment needs.

In addition, the USAID Global Development Alli­ance (GDA) Office works to facilitate public-private partnerships that unite the unique skills and resources of each partner and apply them to development challenges for sustainable solutions. Since 2001, the GDA has cultivated over 680 alliances with more than 1,700 individual partners. Disaster preparedness and response partnerships are a high priority area for the GDA, and USAID works to facilitate these alli­ances involving faith and community-based NGOs as effective business models.

For more information, visit www.usaid.gov/our_work/global_partnerships/fbci

U.S. Department of Agriculture

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recog­nizes the important role that faith-based and com­munity organizations play in helping us to better serve those in need. These organizations are valuable part­ners in delivering USDA’s food and housing programs, and are especially critical to these efforts during times of disaster.

USDA Food and Nutrition Service
Agencies of USDA help in many ways in a disaster, but perhaps the most immediate is to ensure that people have enough to eat. Through its Food and Nutri­tion Service (FNS), USDA assists in three ways: (1) Provides commodity foods for shelters and other mass feeding sites, (2) Distributes commodity food packages directly to households in need, and (3) Issues emer­gency food stamps.

As part of the Federal Emergency Response Plan, FNS’ Food Distribution Division has the primary responsi­bility of supplying food to disaster relief organizations such as the Red Cross and the Salvation Army for mass feeding or household distribution. Disaster organiza­tions request food assistance through State agencies that run USDA’s nutrition assistance programs. State agencies notify USDA of the types and quantities of food that relief organizations need for emergency feeding operations.

For more information on USDA emergency food assistance, please visit http://www.fns.usda.gov/disasters/response/faq.htm.

USDA Rural Development
In rural areas affected by natural disasters, USDA’s Rural Development (RD) agency offers financial assis­tance (loans, grants, etc.) to individuals, businesses, and communities in order to help minimize financial hardship. Natural Disaster Loans and Grants are available to help families whose Rural Development-financed homes were damaged or destroyed. Loan servicing options are available to help families who experience financial problems after the disaster, as well as borrowers from other RD programs. Many RD business programs can help provide financial relief to small businesses as a result of natural disasters, including funding for repairs, emerging businesses, and economic development.

For more information on USDA emergency assistance in rural areas, please visit
http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rd/disasters/disassistance.html

U.S. Department of Commerce

The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) is com­mitted to investing resources in communities recover­ing from disasters to help rebuild local regions and ensure a stronger future for residents. When respond­ing to the needs of communities with sudden and severe economic distress, DOC’s Economic Develop­ment Administration (EDA) has focused on assisting state and local interests in designing and implementing strategies to adjust and rebuild the economic infra­structure. EDA stresses that planning and implementa­tion should take place and be driven at the local level where needs are best analyzed and met.

EDA has a long history of responding to disasters. For example, EDA has responded with financial and human resources to the Gulf Coast hurricanes, the Klamath fisheries disaster, the Eastern Market fire in the District of Columbia, the Greensburg, Kansas tornadoes, the Cali­fornia wild fires and, most recently, the Oregon floods.

Further Details about EDA’s Disaster Recovery Investments
EDA has awarded 56 investments totaling over $32.636 million to the Gulf Coast region since Hurricane Katrina. EDA and its partners estimate that these investments will generate more than $854 million in private capital investment and will create over 3,171 jobs.

EDA has awarded four faith-based and community investments totaling $3.9 million to the Gulf Coast region since Hurricane Katrina. EDA and its part­ners estimate that these investments will generate more than $52 million in private capital investment and will create over 80 jobs.

In response to the May 2007 tornado that hit Greenburg, Kansas, EDA completed a Rapid Report of Community Economic Impact to assess Green­burg’s recovery and redevelopment needs. EDA subsequently invested $50,000 to create a rede­velopment plan, providing short and long term strategies for community redevelopment, including building code upgrades to “green” construction requirements. In May 2008, EDA announced as economic adjustment investment of over $2.3 mil­lion for the rebuilding of the City of Greenburg’s main street.

For more information, visit www.commerce.gov/OS/CFBCI.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the U.S. Government’s principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves. Each year, HHS admin­isters more grant dollars than all other Federal agen­cies combined—distributing 60 percent of all Federal dollars awarded. With programs covering a wide spectrum of activities, there are many opportunities for faith-based and community organizations (FBCOs) to partner with HHS.

Emergency Support Function – Mass Care, Emergency Assistance, Housing, and Human Services

HHS is a Support Agency to FEMA for Emergency Support Function (ESF-6), and provides assistance to address the non-housing needs of individuals and families including:

Crisis Counseling and Training–Substance Abuse and Men­tal Health Services Administration: This program pro­vides immediate, short-term crisis counseling services. The program helps relieve grieving, stress, or mental health problems caused or aggravated by a disaster or its aftermath. Assistance provided is short term and is at no cost to the disaster victim.

Disaster Case Management: ESF #6 provides case manage­ment services, including financial assistance, through government agencies or qualified nonprofits to eligible individuals. Case management ensures that a sequence of delivery is followed to streamline assistance, pre­vent duplication of benefits, and provide an efficient referral system. It also ensures continuity of services to beneficiaries, such as Medicaid, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, and Child Care.

Emergency Support Function – Public Health and Medical Services

HHS is the lead Federal agency for ESF-8, and pro­vides the mechanism for coordinated Federal assis­tance to supplement state, tribal, and local resources in response to a public health and medical disasters, potential or actual incidents requiring a coordinated Federal response, and/or during a developing potential health and medical emergency. Public Health and Medical Services include responding to medical needs associated with mental health, behavioral health, and substance abuse considerations of incident victims and response workers. This response is coordinated through the Secretary’s Office of the Assistant Secre­tary for Preparedness and Response.

For more information, visit http://www.hhs.gov/aspr/

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Due to the efforts of DHS Center for Faith Based and Community Initiatives (CFBCI) the National Response Framework (NRF) is now more open to engaging faith based and community organizations (FBCOs) than it was prior to its recent revision. In the White House document: The Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina: Lessons Learned, it was advised that DHS revise the NRF to designate more responsibility to many FBCO’s for their response and DHS CFBCI was involved in making sure those changes were incorporated. This now enables DHS to partner with many FBCOs around the country to respond effectively to disasters.

DHS CFBCI has completed workshops in Tampa, Charleston (SC), Miami, Denver, and Houston. Future workshops will be held in Washington, D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Columbus, Ohio and San Juan, Puerto Rico. These events seek to help many local FBCOs around the country to integrate themselves into the local, state and county emergency management operations, which then enable them to be connected to DHS and FEMA Federal disaster pre­paredness and response operations.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

FEMA had direct involvement with Katrina Aid Today and DHS CFBCI has supported those efforts. Katrina Aid Today, which ended in March 2008, was a consortium of ten social service and voluntary organizations, led by UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) dedicated to helping survivors navigate the system to recover from the disastrous effects of Hurricane Katrina.

Katrina Aid Today is sponsored by FEMA using donations from the international commu­nity. Katrina Aid Today was a successful public-private partnership and saw success in the following areas: (1) Long Term Recovery Committees assisted with unmet needs of individuals (applied to all affected states), (2) FEMA funding of Katrina Aid Today Case Management Program was $66M from international donations, (3) Katrina Aid Today trained managers that helped approximately 100,000 families identify sources of support, develop personal recovery plans, acquire access to services and take appropriate actions to rebuild their lives, (4) Public Assistance funding was directed to rebuild after significant losses to schools, universities and other nonprofit entities, and (5) FEMA had strong partnerships with FBCOs and nonprofits to work toward the depopulation of FEMA Transitional Housing Sites and the partnerships with FBCO’s working to assist Special Need applicants such as the elderly, disabled and single parents with small children has made a tremendous impact on the lives of these people.

Ready Campaign
Launched in February 2003, Ready is a national public service advertising campaign designed to educate and empower Americans to prepare for and respond to emergencies including natural disasters and potential terrorist attacks. The goal of the campaign is to get the public involved and ultimately to increase the level of basic preparedness across the Nation.

Ready and its Spanish language version Listo ask individuals to do three key things: get an emergency supply kit, make a family emergency plan, and be informed about the different types of emergencies that could occur and their appropriate responses.

The campaign’s messages have been distributed through: television, radio, print, outdoor and Internet public service advertisements (PSAs) developed and produced by the Advertising Council; brochures; www.ready.gov and www.listo.gov Web sites; toll-free phone lines 1-800-BE-READY and 1-888-SE-LISTO; and partnerships with a wide variety of public and private sector organizations.

The Ad Council has declared Ready one of the most successful campaigns in its more than 60-year history. Since its launch, the campaign has gener­ated more than $703.2 million in donated media support. As of March 31, 2008, the Web site has received more than 2.1 billion hits and 28.9 million unique visitors; the toll-free numbers have received more than 333,000 calls; and more than 23.4 million Ready materials have been requested or downloaded from the Web site.

A national survey conducted by The Ad Council in August 2007 found that although there is still a long way to go before all Americans are prepared for emergencies, there have been indications of progress. The percentage of respondents that said it is “very important” for all Americans to be prepared increased from 60 percent in 2006 to 66 percent in 2007. From 2005 to 2007, the proportion of Americans who have taken any steps to prepare rose 9 points, from 45 percent to 54 percent.

In 2004, Homeland Security launched Ready Business, an extension of the Ready Campaign that focuses on business preparedness. Ready Business helps owners and managers of small-to medium-sized businesses prepare their employees, operations and assets in the event of an emergency. The campaign’s mes­sages are being delivered through a Web site (www.ready.gov), brochures, radio, print and internet PSAs and key partnerships.

In 2006, the Department launched Ready Kids, a tool to help parents and teachers educate children ages 8–12 about emergencies and how they can help get their family prepared. The program includes a family-friendly Web site (www.ready.gov) and in-school materials developed by Scholastic Inc.

Homeland Security has also developed tailored preparedness information for specific Americans. The Department, American Kennel Club, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, American Veterinary Medical Association, and The Humane Society of the United States created materials that highlight the key steps pet owners should take to prepare themselves and their animals. Homeland Security, AARP, the American Red Cross, the National Organization on Disability and the National Fire Protection Association also created emergency information for seniors and Americans with disabilities and special needs. Materials devel­oped for these specific Americans include brochures and instructional videos available at www.ready.gov.

The Department highlights public emergency pre­paredness through National Preparedness Month, a nationwide effort held each September to encour­age Americans to take simple steps to prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses and schools. In 2007, 1,800 national, regional, state and local organizations participated in National Preparedness Month by distributing information, hosting events and sponsoring activities across the country to pro­mote emergency preparedness. National Prepared­ness Month 2007 consisted of four themed weeks that focused on different areas of emergency pre­paredness, including: back-to-school (Ready Kids); business preparedness (Ready Business); multicultural preparedness (Listo Campaign); and home and family preparedness, including pets, older Americans and those individuals with disabilities and special needs (Ready America).

For more information, visit www.dhs.gov/fbci

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) can provide critical housing and community development resources to aid disaster relief and recovery. HUD’s Disaster Recovery Teams are located in offices throughout the country to help disaster victims find housing and to assist communities as they rebuild. Community Development and Housing Assistance through Cities, Counties, and States Grantees (metropolitan cities, urban counties, and states) may request that awarding of annual Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Invest­ment Partnerships (HOME) funds be expedited or that program year start dates be moved up. Grantees may also reprogram funds for disaster recovery activities.

HUD may also provide statutory or regulatory waivers in the CDBG or HOME programs to increase the flex­ibility and effectiveness of using funds in presidentially declared disasters. In response to disasters, Congress may also appropriate additional funding for the CDBG and HOME programs as Disaster Recovery grants to rebuild the affected areas and provide crucial money to start the recovery process. Since CDBG Disaster Recovery assistance may fund a broad range of recovery activities, HUD can help communities and neighborhoods that otherwise might not recover due to limited resources.

Mortgage Assistance from HUD’s Federal Housing Administration (FHA) For Presidentially declared disasters, FHA activates a Mortgage Letter, “Single Family Loan Production and Servicing-Special Program, Underwriting, and Servicing Policies to Assist Victims of Presidentially-Declared Major Disaster Areas.” This letter makes available mortgage insurance for disaster victims, makes available Section 203(K) rehabilitation mortgages regardless of the age of the property, allows mortgagers whose homes are completely destroyed to qualify for a new FHA-insure mortgage loan without consideration of the existing mortgage payments allowing the home owner to begin the mortgage application process while insurance settlements are being processes (the mortgager must satisfy existing debt prior to approval of any new mortgage debt), extends the time for lenders on submission of closed loans from 60 to 90 days after the date of closing, and places a 90-day moratorium on foreclosures for properties directly affect by the disaster.

Assistance from the Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA or Ginnie Mae) For a Presidentially declared disaster, Ginnie Mae issues an All Participant Memorandum, “Forbearance and Buyout Authorization for Loans in Areas Declared a Disaster by President…” This memorandum encourages all single-family, manufactured housing, and multifamily Ginnie Mae issuers to provide as much for­bearance as possible to mortgagers in areas receiving a Presidential disaster declaration. In addition, it autho­rizes issuers of Ginnie Mae pools containing loans on properties damaged by the Presidentially declared disaster to buy loans out of the pools for the remaining principal balance of each loan, regardless of whether the loans are delinquent before the repurchase. This new authority should assist homeowners, whose homes have been directly damaged by the storms and tornados, avoid becoming delinquent on their loan payment which can lead to default and foreclosure. Issues must request written permission to buy such loans out of existing pools.

Disaster Housing Assistant Program-Rental Housing Assistance and Case Management Services
In 2007, HUD took over the long-term rental assistance program for approximately 45,000 eligible families displaced by Hurricanes Karina and Rita from FEMA through a program called the Disaster Housing Assistance Program (DHAP). DHAP is a central program in helping families have the opportunity to return home and rebuild their lives. Through its extensive network of Public Housing Agencies, HUD works to provide housing assistance and case management services to eligible families.

Hurricane Toolkit: Recovery After the Storm
Immediately after Hurricane Katrina, HUD’s Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (CFBCI) produced and released 47,000 copies of a disaster relief toolkit that was also disseminated through the CFBCI website. The toolkit provides information on Federal programs that assist disaster victims as well as contact information for non-profits who assist victims. This toolkit has recently been updated and continues to be available on the Center’s website, http://www.hud.gov/offices/fbci/hurricanetoolkit.pdf.

For more information on these and other HUD disaster assistance programs please visit, http://www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/communitydevelopment/programs/dri/

U.S. Department of Justice

Helping Victims of Domestic Violence
On August 28, 2007, the Office of Violence Against Women announced the opening of the 16th Federally funded Family Justice Center in New Orleans (and dedicated up to $3 million to support its development and implementation). This is a public-private partnership modeled after the President’s Family Justice Center Initiative and helps victims of domestic violence find comprehensive services in one central location (“one-stop domestic violence assistance shop”). Services include law enforcement assistance, victim advocacy and counseling services, prosecution services, faith-based services, social services, employment assistance, vouchers for emergency housing and referrals to medical care. Catholic Charities of New Orleans is the primary partner under the award and is serving as the lead implementing agency on this project. So far 139 people have been helped and 464 services have been provided.

Helping victims of crime
The Office for Victims of Crime is supporting two victim specialist positions in the U.S. Attorneys Office in the Eastern District of Louisiana to work with victims of crime and homicide and help coordinate victim service efforts in New Orleans. Among other things, these specialists will organize and assist in conducting trainings at both public and parochial schools, universities, local community centers, and faith-based organizations regarding available victim services, the roles of the United States Attorneys Office and local law enforcement, and how the Federal and local criminal justice systems operate.

Helping at-risk youth
With a $950,000 grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Greater New Orleans Afterschool Partnership is working to restore afterschool programs serving at-risk youth to the level necessary for recovery in New Orleans. While prior to Hurricane Katrina there were over 200 afterschool programs serving at-risk youth, after it the number plummeted to just 42 programs serving only 25 percent of the target population. The Greater New Orleans Afterschool Partner­ship is working closely with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana, the Orleans Parish Juvenile Court, the New Orleans Police Department and community and faith-based organizations in this endeavor to provide more afterschool programming options to at-risk youth in an effort to address juvenile crime concerns.

With funding from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention $493,614), the Café Reconcile New Orleans’ Youth Workforce Development Program is providing at-risk youth with on-the-job training in the culinary arts and construction trades. Between August 2005 and December 31, 2007, 82 per­cent of enrolled youth (94/115) successfully graduated from the Culinary and Construction Programs. The New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation, a DOJ Weed and Seed subgrantee, hosted two camps for at-risk youth in New Orleans. The camps provided youth in the area with enrichment activities and field trips and employment-related activities for teens focusing on how to search and apply for a job, how to prepare a resume, how to conduct oneself in a job interview, and core employment-related skills necessary for most jobs. In addition, one of the camps was designed to divert at-risk youth from delinquent behavior and to support youth and families coping with the post-Katrina adjustments.

For more information, visit www.usdoj.gov/fbci

U.S. Department of Labor

The Department of Labor (DOL) has awarded more than $283.7 million in National Emergency Grants to support the creation of temporary jobs for individuals in cleanup and recovery work in the Gulf Coast, and to provide impacted workers, including Hurricane Katrina evacuees, with education and training for new career opportunities. DOL awarded an additional $174.8 million to the Gulf Coast for:

• Training workers for jobs critical to the economic recovery of the Gulf Coast region under the President’s High Growth Job Training Initiative;
• Grants to 35 community colleges in affected states throughout the southeast under the President’s Community College Initiative;
• Launching the Department’s “Pathways to Employment Initiative” in areas with high concentrations of evacuees;
• Expanding the National Urban League’s Urban Youth Empowerment Program and to establish the Gulf Coast Employment Initiative upgrading the performance and capacity of state unemployment insurance systems;

And many other employment-related activities, including job training to support economic revitalization, health and safety training, and services that help veterans find work.

In addition, DOL has increased the number of Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Wage and Hour Division personnel in the Gulf Coast to improve workplace safety and protect workers’ wages; partnered with the Internal Revenue Service to guard employees’ health benefits and pensions; and invested $38 million to rebuild, improve, and expand Job Corps Centers and resources for at-risk youth.

In July 2007, the DOL Employment and Training Administration awarded a $15 million National Emergency Grant to the Louisiana Department of Labor to continue rebuilding efforts and catalyze implementation of critical youth talent development strategies. That project involves numerous national, state, and local partners, including faith-based and community organizations.

DOL Faith-Based and Community Initiatives in the Gulf Coast Region
Since July 2005, DOL has awarded $55.9 million in competitive grants to 101 faith-based and community organizations in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, and Florida. These nonprofits are partnering with DOL to provide a wide range of employment-related and supportive services to jobseekers, at-risk youth, ex-prisoners, homeless veterans, and many more in the Gulf Coast region.

In November 2007, the DOL Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives trained staff at the Missis­sippi Department of Employment Security (MDES) on how to create “Access Points” to One-Stop Career Center resources at local faith-based and community organizations in communities that lack access to a One-Stop Center. Over the next several years, the MDES will be working with the public workforce system and local faith-based and community organizations to expand “Access Points” statewide.

For more information, visit www.dol.gov/fbci

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) operates the Nation’s largest integrated health care system with more than 1,400 sites of care, including 153 medical centers, 731 community-based outpatient clinics, 135 nursing homes, 209 readjustment counseling centers (Vet Centers), and 47 domiciliaries. VA restores the capability of veterans with disabilities to the greatest extent possible and improves the quality of their lives and their families; ensures a smooth transition for veterans from active military service to civilian life, and honors and serves veterans in life, and memorializes them in death for their sacrifices on behalf of the Nation.

VA also provides emergency management support to Federal, state, local, relief agencies, nonprofits and community organizations during crisis situations; responds to the Nation’s National Response Plan, and supports the VA/DOD Contingency Hospital System.

Gulf Coast Response
After Katrina, VA developed new emergency proce­dures for veterans whose benefits were affected by the Hurricane to ensure that veterans residing in Gulf Coast states, including homeless veterans, disabled veterans and Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF), had access to healthcare services and received their benefits. The New Orleans VA Medical Center suffered exten­sive damage during Hurricane Katrina. VA is fully committed to rebuilding its medical center with a state-of-the-art medical facility.

Building Partnerships
Dedicated to providing world class medical care to veterans living in New Orleans and surrounding communities, VA has signed an agreement with Louisiana State University to create a partnership and has made arrangements with Tulane University Hospital to provide medical care for veterans. VA also has entered into a cooperative agreement with the Louisiana Public Health Institute, which has received a Federal grant. The purpose of this initiative is to identify and refer veterans in Louisiana particularly those displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Helping Homeless Veterans
In 2007, VA’s Homeless Grant and Per Diem programs provided grants to five organizations to create 136 new transitional housing beds for homeless veterans in four Louisiana cities. At least two or three of the organizations were faith-based organizations. The five grantees will start their operations in FY 2008.

The VA National Cemetery Administration honors veterans with final resting places in national shrines and with lasting tributes that commemorate their service to our Nation. The Forgotten Heroes Program, a network of active duty services members, veterans’ service organi­zations (VSOs) and individuals, provides unaccompanied veterans with a final memorial service. VA’s National Cemetery Service sends out an e-mail invitation when a burial service is scheduled at the VA National Cemetery in Biloxi, Mississippi, for example. A chaplain from the VA Medical Center and one from one of the nearby military bases provide military honors.

Appendix B: Biographies

John Hope Bryant
Founder and Chairman
Operation HOPE

John Hope Bryant is a philanthropic entrepreneur and businessman. On January 22, 2008, Mr. Bryant was appointed vice-chairman of the President’s Council on Financial Literacy by President George W. Bush.

Mr. Bryant is the founder, chairman, and chief execu­tive officer of Operation HOPE, America’s first non­profit social investment banking organization, now operating in 51 U.S. communities and South Africa, having raised more than $400 million from the private sector to empower the poor. Former U.S. President Bill Clinton described Mr. Bryant in his recent bestsell­ing book GIVING saying, “John Bryant is a 41 year-old whirlwind of ideas and action. Lean, intense, focused, and completely positive in his belief in the potential of poor people to prosper, with ‘a hand up and not a hand out.’”

A national community leader cited by the past four sitting U.S. presidents for his work to empower low-wealth communities across America, and an active advisor to the past two U.S. presidents, John Hope Bryant is one of the most authoritative and compelling advocates for poverty eradication in America today.

As a co-founder of Global Dignity, John Hope Bryant has conducted Dignity Day teaching sessions with youth and leaders in countries including Canada, Turkey, India, Switzerland, Finland, and South Africa, and with leaders such Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan and HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway.

John Hope Bryant is also a businessman, having served on several corporate boards, an author, having written Banking On Our Future, a book on youth and family financial literacy. He has also served as a goodwill ambassador to the U.S. for the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, and as a partner with former U.S. President Clinton and his foundation in teaching financial literacy and promoting the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). He serves as a member with the Forum of Young Global Leader for the World Economic Forum and with HOPE global spokesman Ambassador Andrew Young. Mr. Bryant is also a leader for a new movement bridging civil rights to silver rights.

Secretary Michael Chertoff
U.S. Department of Homeland Secretary

On February 15, 2005, Judge Michael Chertoff was unanimously confirmed by the Senate and sworn in as the second Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. He formerly served as United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, after his June 2003 Senate confirmation.

Secretary Chertoff was previously confirmed by the Senate in 2001 to serve as Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division at the Department of Justice. As Assistant Attorney General, he oversaw the investigation of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He also formed the Enron Task Force, which produced more than 20 convictions, including those of CEOs Jeffrey Skilling and Ken Lay.

Before joining the George W. Bush Administration, Secretary Chertoff was a partner in the law firm of Latham & Watkins. From 1995 to 1996, he served as special counsel for the U.S. Senate Whitewater Committee.

Prior to that, Secretary Chertoff spent more than a decade as a Federal prosecutor, including service as U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, and Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. As a Federal prosecutor, Secretary Chertoff investigated and personally prosecuted significant cases of political cor­ruption, organized crime, and corporate fraud. Among them was the “Mafia Commission” case, in which the leaders of La Cosa Nostra were all convicted and sen­tenced to 100 years in prison for directing the criminal activities of the American Mafia.

Secretary Chertoff graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College in 1975 and magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1978. From 1979-1980 he served as a clerk to Supreme Court Justice William Brennan, Jr.

Penny Dendy
Executive Director
Volunteer Mobile, Inc.

As executive director of Volunteer Mobile, Inc, Penny Dendy has been a leader in emergency response and recovery in Mobile, Alabama. Serving as director of the coordinating agency for the Long Term Recovery in Mobile County, Alabama for Hurricanes Ivan and Katrina, she has overseen the restoration of more than 1500 homes for hurricane victims in the last four years.

Working with more than 75 local, national and international faith-based organizations, she developed a long term recovery organization that is a national model for community and family recovery.

Dendy began her work with disaster response in 1993 when the Sunset Limited, an Amtrak passenger train, derailed in Mobile County killing 47 people and injuring countless more. As director of Volunteer Mobile, Dendy assumed the role of coordinating the volunteer response and providing assistance to those passengers who did not need admission to a hospital. As a result of her work, Volunteer Mobile was identi­fied in the Mobile County Emergency Operations Plan top coordinate spontaneous volunteers in disasters and serve as the single point of contact for volunteer response to disasters.

Between 1999 and 2001, Dendy served as a consultant for the U.S. State Department, providing extensive training to governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations in Romania on utilization of volunteers and service organizations in disaster response. As a result of her work, the Romanian Parliament passed ground-breaking legislation to allow volunteer and nongovernment involvement in public safety and emergency management. In June 2002, Dendy was recognized by the Romanian Government for her work and presented a copy of the legislation by Antonie Iorgovan, the “Father of the Romanian Constitution”.

Don Gann
Assistant Director of Disaster Relief
Mississippi Baptist Convention Board

Don Gann was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina, and raised in Vicksburg, Mississippi. He graduated from Warren Central High in 1978. He then attended Mississippi State University and graduated in 1982 with Bachelor’s of Arts degree in political science. In 1986, he received a Master’s of divinity degree from Southwest­ern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.

Gann has served as the Baptist Student Union director at East Central Community College in Decatur, Mississippi, and Mississippi College in Clinton, Mississippi. From 1996 until 2003 he served as pastor of Wynndale Baptist Church in Byram, Mississippi.

Presently, Gann serves as a consultant for the Men’s Ministry Department of the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board. He is also the assistant director of the Mississippi Baptist Disaster Relief task force.

Gann and his wife, Melinda, have two children: Kelli, a junior at Louisiana State University, and Michael, a sophomore at Clinton High School.

Paul Goldenberg
National Director
Secure Community Network

Paul G. Goldenberg has built a distinguished career as a highly decorated criminal justice executive with extensive and broad-based experience in a wide variety of high profile and politically sensitive government and corporate environments. He is well known for his record of resolving numerous high profile and confidential matters for governments, businesses and other organizations around the world and establishing the first state-wide law enforcement office in the United States for hate crime prevention and intervention on behalf of the New Jersey State Attorney Generals office in the early 1990s.

In October 2004, the management committee of the Secure Community Network representing 56 of the nation’s largest Jewish umbrella organizations selected Goldenberg as national director, the first person ever to hold such a post within the organized Jewish community. In 2003 Goldenberg was selected by the United States Helsinki Commission to act as special adviser to the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights within the OSCE (Office for Security and Cooperation in Europe), the world’s largest government security and conflict resolution agency. Goldenberg has consulted with senior level officials responsible for overseeing internal secu­rity, human rights, and law enforcement services for the governments of Spain, Ukraine, Unite Kingdom, Hungary, Serbia, Croatia, Germany, Poland, Romania, France, Canada, Kosovo, Israel, and many others.

Following the 1993 World Trade Center bombings, Goldenberg was chosen by New Jersey’s Gover­nor to develop and oversee New Jersey’s specialized counter-terror and SWAT training for all 21 county SWAT teams. Goldenberg has led numerous missions to Israel, where he arranged the first ever Nation/State Counter Terror Joint Training exercise conducted in Ft. Dix, New Jersey. Mr. Goldenberg has been called upon to train hundreds of domestic and international law enforcement agencies. After serving as an under­cover agent for five years in south Florida as part of elite task force during the 1980s, Goldenburg was honored as South Florida’s Law Enforcement Officer of the Year for his undercover achievements that resulted in hundreds of arrests of individuals engaged in organized criminal activities.

Pete Hull
Task Lead
Homeland Security Institute

Pete Hull is a principal analyst at the Homeland Secu­rity Institute. He is a recognized expert in the field of emergency preparedness. Hull is the lead author of “Heralding Unheard Voices: The Role of Faith-based Organizations (FBOs) and Nongovernmental Orga­nizations (NGOs) in Disasters.” This report, for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, provided an in-depth analysis of the role of faith-based organizations during and after disasters.

He is the former Executive Manager for Emergency Preparedness of the United States Senate Sergeant at Arms (SAA). There, he worked closely with U.S. Senators and their staffs to ensure their safety and security. While at the Senate, he provided advice to senior leaders on a wide range of emergency prepared­ness issues and represented the U.S. Senate SAA in various national level forums. Prior to the Senate, Hull served as a naval intelligence officer and retired with 23 years of service.

He is the founder of Skills That Serve Institute, a not-for-profit public charity that provides vocational skills training useful in disasters. He is a member of McLean Bible Church and has served in several lay ministry positions there.

Berl Jones
Deputy Director, Individual Assistance Division
Disaster Assistance Directorate, Federal Emergency Management Agency

Berl D. Jones Jr. has more than 25 years experience in emergency management and volunteer coordination at the local, state, Federal and voluntary agency levels. Before joining FEMA in 2002, he was a senior program manager for America Online. Prior to that, he was the American National Red Cross’ liaison to FEMA Region II and a Disaster Specialist for the American Red Cross in Greater New York. Jones brings extensive national disaster experience to his position in FEMA. He has worked numerous presidential disaster declara­tions, including hurricanes Hugo, Andrew, Marilyn, Katrina and Rita, the Midwest Floods, the 1993 World Trade Center Bombing, the TWA Flight 800 explosion and the aftermath of September 11.

Jones began his career in emergency management in 1981. While attending Southern Illinois University, he joined a group of students on a mission to sandbag levees on the Kaskaskia River to protect local homes. After graduation in 1986, Jones returned home to take a full-time supervisory position with the American Red Cross in Greater New York Chapter in charge of mass care and disaster operations through 1990. He supervised a 24-hour, 7-day disaster response system comprised of more than 80 paid and volunteer staff serving the five boroughs and surrounding counties of New York City, where incidents averaged more than 3,000 per year. In 1987, he was assigned to the Central American Refugee Camp mass care operation in Brownsville, Texas, where he served as a shelter manager for refugees crossing into the United States from Mexico.

Jones left the local Red Cross Chapter in 1990 to take a position with the American National Red Cross as the Special Representative to FEMA Region II, where his primary duties were to work with voluntary agencies at the local, state and national levels in the areas of pre­paredness, mitigation, response and recovery, and to help establish local and state-based Voluntary Organi­zations Active in Disaster (VOAD). Jones was instru­mental in establishing VOADs in New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and revitalizing the New York VOAD. After responding to disasters steadily for more than five years, Jones accepted a posi­tion with America Online (AOL) in the private sector and moved with his family from New York to Dulles, Virginia. At AOL he was in charge of the online vol­unteer and remote employee program administration. In 2002 Jones left AOL to join the Individual Assistance team at FEMA Headquarters, and has been with the agency ever since.

Kary Kingsland
U.S. Director, Convoy of Hope
Kary Kingsland is a nationally-recognized leader in the field of disaster response. He and his team have effec­tively trained and mobilized thousands of volunteers to meet human need across the United States.

A gifted lecturer and strategist, Kingsland has worked with government agencies, civic groups, corporations, and churches to respond to disasters in the United States. In the wake of Katrina, he led a massive response that rebuilt and restored 3,000 homes and distributed 35 million pounds of food and supplies. He is the national representative for Convoy of Hope to NVOAD.

He formerly served as a pastor of a thriving California church, where he developed a compassion outreach that served as a model for congregations in the region. He joined the Convoy of Hope team in 1999 as a national outreach director, where he equipped and mobilized communities to help the poor and suffering. Kingsland also helped launch Convoy of Hope–Europe, which has expanded to numerous countries.
In 2008, under his leadership, H.O.P.E. Begins Here (HBH) Helping Others Prepare for Emergencies, was launched. HBH is a disaster preparedness initiative that prepares businesses, churches, and families for disaster, and equips the faith-based community to take an active role alongside local emergency management. 

Mary Marr
Founder and Chairman, Christian Emergency Network

Mary Marr, Founder and Chairman of Christian Emergency Network (CEN), was called into ministry in 1978 after a successful career in public education both as a teacher and career education administrator. During her public education tenure, she wrote the State of Michigan guidelines for Career Education. After completing theology education, Mary served on the staff of a mega-church in Michigan, where she was approached to host a one-hour radio program. This program later became the foundation for the syndicated daily radio program Outreach Alert heard on over 1000 radio outlets nationwide. Marr is a conference speaker and the author of Lighting the Way. As a radio broadcaster, she uses her voice to rally and inspire the greater church nationwide in a Biblical readiness and response to disasters of all kinds. She has been interviewed on National Public Radio, Janet Parschell’s America, and all Christian networks.

In 2001, in collaboration with ten leading national ministries, public and private sector agencies, Marr founded the Christian Emergency Network (CEN), an unprecedented Christian collaboration and disaster-focused communication organization. She currently serves as the chairman of CEN with over 7,000 organizations, 45,000 local churches, 1200 radio outlets, national SAT TV feeds, a website which engages the greater church daily through automated e-news (serviced over 20 million hits in one day during activation), and with CEN’s 250 local reporters spread nationwide who offer expertise and critical information. Gripped by the need for those in disaster, Mary leads the charge as CEN rallies the greater church to “Be Aware” with timely accurate information, to “Be Ready” physically, emotionally and spiritually, and then, to “Be There” serving those in need with Hope.

In addition to being an active member of Mission America Coalition and the National Religious Broadcasters, Marr has worked cooperatively with the Department of Homeland Security National Preparedness Campaign and contributed to the DHSI report which evaluated best practices in the faith-based community related to Katrina. Through her networking leadership CEN, Marr has also helped to respond during disasters with critical information for volunteers, churches, media, and organizations. CEN success stories inspire volunteers to continue to work tirelessly through the stages of recovery long after secular media lights have gone out. As needed, CEN also works with the Center for Disease Control in distributing timely vital public information.

Governor Scott McCallum
President & CEO Aidmatrix Foundation

Governor Scott McCallum has over 30 years of executive experience leading strategic and operations planning, media, marketing, and government relations. He served as Wisconsin Governor, and is a nationally recognized author, speaker, and consultant.

Governon McCallum is the President and CEO of the Aidmatrix Foundation. Aidmatrix Foundation is an international nonprofit organization sponsored by some of the world’s leading technology corporations that leverage world-class solutions from the business world and apply them to the NGO world. Aidmatrix’s goal is to get the right aid to the right people at the right time. Aidmatrix functions as a bridge, a linking pin between the for-profit and nonprofit worlds—with systems that open lines of communication between donors, non­profits, their partners, volunteers, and people in need. Through partners and technology, Aidmatrix processes over $1.5 billion in aid annually, with over 35,000 users worldwide. Aidmatrix offers multilingual solutions, serving the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Europe.

Governor McCallum is a Senior Fellow with the Discovery Institute, a think tank based in Seattle, Washington. He has taught at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and has been an Executive-in-Residence at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He also teaches Executive M.B.A. marketing classes at Sun Yat Sen and Harbin Universities in the Peoples Republic of China.

McCallum earned his Bachlor’s of Arts from Macalester College and a Master’s of Arts from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

He sits on several boards of directors. He has served on numerous Presidential Commissions.

Jennifer Posten
Manager, Ready Houston!
Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston

Jennifer Posten is a specialist in the areas of disaster preparedness and recovery, and has provided exten­sive training and information to faith-based groups both locally and nationally. Posten was actively involved in recruiting over 60,000 faith-based volunteers for Operation Compassion in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. She sits on the City of Houston Special Needs Transportation Committee, which focuses on the registration of Houston’s special needs populations in the event of a major disaster. She also serves as Chair for the Texas Gulf Coast Region Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (TGCR VOAD) and is the convener of the Houston Interfaith Disaster Response Alliance (HIDRA). She also sits on the Harris County Citizens Corps Council. Posten is liaison to both Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management and City of Houston Office of Emergency Management. Posten has successfully completed the Community Emergency Response Team and American Red Cross training and has completed National Incident Management System, and the National Response Framework training curricula. Since 2005, she has managed the Ready Houston! program at Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston. Posten has her Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing from the Cox School of Business at SMU and is a fifth generation Texan.

Wendy Spencer
Chief Executive Officer
Volunteer Florida: Governor’s Commission on Volunteerism and
Community Service

Wendy M. Spencer is chief executive officer of the Governor’s Commission on Volunteerism and Com­munity Service, commonly called Volunteer Florida. Volunteer Florida administers Florida’s AmeriCorps Programs; coordinates volunteers and donations state­wide during times of disaster; and assists in developing Florida’s network of volunteer centers. As CEO of Volunteer Florida, Wendy manages more than $18 million a year in Federal, state, and local grants that engage citizens in volunteer activities. Spencer’s 24 year career includes serving as director of the Florida State Park Service, where she managed 1,700 full and part-time employees and more than 5,000 volunteers for 158 award-winning state parks. Spencer also served as Resource Development Director for the United Way of the Big Bend from 1991–2001. Spencer has raised more than $35 million to benefit communities and has volunteered on countless boards of charitable organizations. She currently serves on the boards of the Florida Association of Voluntary Agen­cies for Caribbean Action and the Association of State Service Commissions. She also is a graduate of the XXIV Class of Leadership Florida, an organization that develops a strong, diverse statewide network of leaders with a shared commitment to make Florida a better place to live. She was appointed in early 2006 by President Bush to serve on the President’s Council for Service and Civic Participation. She is married to Ron Spencer and has two sons, Parker and Boyd.

Erin Streeter
Director, Ready Campaign
U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Erin Streeter is the Director of Ready, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s national public service advertising campaign designed to educate and empower Americans to prepare for and respond to emergencies, including natural disasters and potential terrorist attacks. In this position, Streeter leads the operations and outreach strategy of the campaign which includes Ready America, Ready Business, Ready Kids, Listo (the Spanish version of the campaign), and the National Preparedness Month initiative. In addition, she serves as the Ready campaign spokesperson.

Streeter joined Homeland Security in July of 2006, as Director of Communications of the Prepared­ness Directorate. In this position, she oversaw the communications for Homeland Security grants to state and locals, infrastructure protection, cybersecurity and telecommunications, the National Capitol Region Office and the state and local office.

Before joining Homeland Security she was the direc­tor of communications at the YMCA of the U.S.A. where she helped lead the YMCA’s national health and wellness campaign, Activate America. Ms. Streeter has also worked as a television reporter and producer but started her career in Washington, D.C. as deputy press secretary to Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA).

Appendix C - Compassion in Action Roundtable Agenda

May 19, 2008
1:00 pm – 3:15 pm

1:00 – 1:10 pm      Welcome and Introduction
Jay Hein, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives

1:10 – 2:00 pm       The Role of FBCOs in Emergency Preparedness
Moderator: Erin Streeter, Director, Ready Campaign, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Panelist: Jennifer Posten, Manager, Ready Houston!, Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston
Panelist: Kary Kingsland, U.S. Director, Convoy of Hope
Panelist: Mary Marr, Founder and Chairman, Christian Emergency Network
Panelist: Paul Goldenberg, National Director, Secure Community Network

2:00 – 2:10 pm       Keynote Remarks
Secretary Michael Chertoff, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

2:10 – 2:20 pm       Heralding Unheard Voices: The Value of FBCOs During Disaster
Pete Hull, Task Lead, Homeland Security Institute

2:20 – 2:30 pm       Technology as an Engine for Community Solutions in Times of Disaster
Governor Scott McCallum, President & CEO,                           
Aidmatrix  Foundation

2:30 – 3:15 pm       The Vital Role of FBCOs in Disaster Response and Recovery
Moderator: Berl Jones, Deputy Director, Individual Assistance Division, Disaster Assistance Directorate, Federal Emergency Management Agency
Panelist: Wendy Spencer, CEO, Volunteer Florida, Governor’s Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service
Panelist: Penny Dendy, Executive Director, Volunteer Mobile, Inc., Alabama
Panelist: Don Gann, Assistant Director of Disaster Relief, Mississippi Baptist Convention Board
Panelist: John Hope Bryant, Founder and Chairman,                
Operation HOPE

3:15 Adjourn