Contractor Resources

Emergency Preparedness

The Community Partnership is committed to ensuring that publicly funded shelters in the District of Columbia are prepared to respond to disasters and are aware of local resources to assist our neighbors experiencing homelessness. The Partnership is engaging multiple stakeholders within homeless service agencies, as well as the District's Emergency Operation Center (EOC), in training and resource development.

As part of the effort to ensure those experiencing homelessness have disaster preparedness and response information and resources, The Partnership has enlisted the support of Canavan Associates to provide Emergency Preparedness trainings. Trainings have been, and will continue to be, made available to local homeless service providers to identify, maximize, and build upon existing organizational capacity in disaster preparedness and response. Trainings have provided the opportunity for attendees to both gain information on how to help clients be safer during a disaster and also have input into how shelters will operationalize their responses. Trainings have been made available to District homeless service providers, including management, outreach workers, and emergency shelter staff.

Below are PowerPoint presentations related to previous trainings:

The Community Partnership Brownbag Session on Emergency Planning for Homeless Service Providers: This presentation/training was developed for management level staff of District homeless service providing agencies and presented April 12, 2006. The training focused on lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina, business continuity planning, District risk assessment, and roles and responsibilities of The Community Partnership and provider agencies. At the conclusion of the training, attendees were provided an agency Emergency Preparedness Report, or self-assessment, to identify current and needed business continuity plans and/or plan elements.

April 2006 Presentation
Emergency Preparedness Report

All Community Partnership contractors must fill out an emergency form for every shelter or housing program. Please submit your completed emergency contact form to Darlene Mathews at dmathews@community-partnership.org.

A Strengths-Based Approach to Disaster Preparedness: This presentation/training was developed for District outreach workers and presented February 14, 2008. During the training characteristics and statistics of the target population, the unsheltered homeless, were identified. Attendees discussed the relevance of this population's strengths and needs to disaster preparedness and response. Communication strategies for outreach workers regarding disaster preparedness and response were reviewed as well as where outreach work will most likely fit within the National Incident Management System, which is a comprehensive approach to disaster response used by governments and disaster response agencies. The training was participatory as feedback on the realities of outreach work, both on a daily basis and regarding disaster preparedness and response, was solicited. As a result, an Emergency Information form was developed. This form serves as a tool for disaster preparedness and response and can be given to clients or jointly completed between clients and staff.

February 2008 Presentation

A Strengths-Based Approach to Disaster Preparedness, Part II: This presentation/training was developed for District emergency shelter staff and presented to six different groups over three days in March, 2008.  The training reviewed characteristics of the target population, hazards that are likely to occur within the District, the role of Neighborhood Clusters and Community Emergency Management Plans in Disaster Preparation and Response, communication methods during a disaster, consumer needs/strengths/preparedness, provider strengths, and worker health during a disaster.  A common theme throughout the training was that everyone can identify three things they can do immediately to make consumers and themselves safer during a disaster/emergency.  Some ideas on immediate steps shared by training attendees included signing up for Alert DC, becoming familiar with relevant Neighborhood Clusters and Community Emergency Management Plans, and being knowledgeable about potential hazards/disasters.   

March 2008 Presentation

CONNECTING WITH CITY RESOURCES

Determine where your shelter is located and the neighborhood plan associated with its location.

The following are pro-active steps that shelters should utilize RIGHT NOW:

Step I
Shelters should use the citizen atlas to determine which neighborhood cluster their programs are located in (refer to Neighborhood cluster list for specific neighborhood names):
http://citizenatlas.dc.gov/atlasapps/reportsearch.aspx?category=100017&CatTrail=1,100017&

Step II
Determine which key staff members at each of your program sites should receive neighborhood alerts and then sign-up for the alerts:
https://textalert.ema.dc.gov/index.php?CCheck=1

Step III
Read over the appropriate community plans for the neighborhood(s) your programs are associated with and share these plans with key personnel in your programs:
http://dcema.dc.gov/dcema/cwp/view,a,1226,q,533144,dcemaNav,%7C31810%7C.asp

Additional helpful links:

• DC Emergency Management Agency Main Page: This is the official home page for the DC Homeland Security Emergency Management Agency.
  http://www.dcema.dc.gov

• American Red Cross: Type in a zip code on the main page for local information or search the site for a vast array of information.
  http://www.redcross.org


• DC Evacuation Routes: There are 19 primary evacuation routes out of the District. Type in an address and get a map and driving directions on evacuation options and alternatives.
  http://dcatlas.dcgis.dc.gov/evac/


• DC Guide: There are eight Wards, 37 Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANC), and 39 Neighborhood Clusters: Find the Ward, ANC, and Cluster where you live, work, or go to school.
  http://about.dc.gov/


• District Response Plan: The official Response Plan of the District.
  http://dcema.dc.gov/dcema/lib/dcema/drp(underrevison2007)copy.pdf
• Major Hazards Fact Sheet: Includes information on hazards ranging from winter storms and floods to urban fires and electricity shortages.
  http://dcema.dc.gov/dcema/cwp/view,a,1226,q,533340,dcemaNav,%7C31810%7C.asp
• Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, Homeland Security and Public Safety: Learn about the National Capital Region Preparedness Council and the Regional Communication Incident Coordination System, a 24 hour, 7-day a week operation that facilitates rapid communication between Regional Officials during a disaster.
  http://www.mwcog.org/security/
• National Response Framework: The official Response Framework for the United States.
  http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nrf/
• National Incident Management System: A comprehensive national approach to incident management applicable at all jurisdictional levels.
  http://www.fema.gov/pdf/emergency/nrf/nrf-nims.pdf
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): A resource for information on substance abuse and mental health, both in times of disaster and non-disaster.
  http://www.samhsa.gov
• 72 Hours DC: This site provides information and links to topics such as: How to make an individualized emergency preparedness plan; what to do in the face of a disaster; evacuation routes; and preparedness courses.
  http://72hours.dc.gov/eic/site/default.asp

You will need Adobe Acrobat to read most of these files. You can download it for free here