CARD ? Collaborating Agencies Responding to Disasters ? is based in Oakland, California. They develop clear, practical preparedness resources specifically for community organizations. These include continuity of operations (COOP) planning materials such as tools outlining concrete steps to preparedness, a guide to developing memorandums of understanding (MOUs) for community organizations, and a guide to agency emergency planning. The agency emergency planning guide includes: prompts for how to engage staff; the agency's disaster mission statement; staff preparedness information; how and when to use volunteers; needs of the agency's clientele; facility preparedness; neighborhood resources; transportation options; communication and outreach; incident command system (ICS) information and chart that can be completed by the organization; and financial resources. The agency emergency plan format is easy to use and includes checklists, charts, and places to fill in the blank. It raises key points for planning, including: What important activities (that keep your agency able to provide services) can be assigned to spontaneous volunteers?; What activities should not be assigned to spontaneous volunteers?; How many total clients would most likely be at your site in a disaster? Of particular value: CARD?s approach provides non-disaster contexts for action and focuses on what agencies can do; what will provide immediate value, and what is sustainable for even the most cash-strapped agency. CARD?s philosophy is Prepare To Prosper!
