News & Columns > Michael P. Neufeld > Disaster Planning Meeting Held in Crestline

Disaster Planning Meeting Held in Crestline

All COAD Meetings Now Scheduled

By Michael P. Neufeld
Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Blue Jay, CA - While emergency personnel do not want to frighten residents and visitors, the realities of living in the most urban national forest in the country means people need to accept that it comes with some risks and to hope for the best, but be part of a "plan for the worst."

A series of public meetings are planned for community organizations to formulate a comprehensive plan. The first four were held in Green Valley Lake, Running Springs, Crestline and Lake Arrowhead. A similar meeting will be held in Big Bear November 10.

(Photo by VickiW.)

With that in mind, Rebuilding Mountain Hearts and Lives has been asked by the San Bernardino County Office of Emergency Services to assist in the creating and formation of a COAD (Community Organizations Active in Disaster). The COAD will be a conduit for learning from the past and will have participating organizations working together toward the goal of providing services to disaster victims. Some of the COAD members will include local churches and service clubs, banks, senior groups, school districts, hospitals, Caltrans, United Way, the American Red Cross, fire agencies, and just about any group or organization you can think of.

A final information meeting is planned:

• November 10 - Big Bear Valley - 10 a.m. - Northwoods Resort - 40605 Village Drive - Big Bear Lake

A COAD is a community-operated group of volunteers and local organizations. "It's not if another disaster will occur, it's when!" Rebuilding Mountain Hearts and Lives Executive Director Dave Stuart explained, "The purpose of the local COAD is to coordinate the disaster responses of the member organizations."

Cheryl Nagy from Rebuilding Mountain Hearts and Lives visits with Assemblyman Paul Cook. (Photo by Michael Neufeld.)

One of the difficulties residents experienced following the 2003 Old Fire and the 2007 fires is that services were duplicated by a number of different groups or organizations and yet sometimes there weren't services available to victims for other more-immediate and necessary problems. Because disasters affect individuals and businesses quite differently, the San Bernardino Mountain COAD will be able to help residents and businesses during the incident and then they can help them cope with the results on a long-term basis.

The COAD is open to all mountaintop organizations, and already several have stepped up to be part of the community movement. Many times in life those who have personally experienced a disaster of some kind are able to be the most help to those who are suffering, or who have recently suffered, a similar tragedy. "The COAD is the perfect platform to help make victims' lives easier and to help them recover and/or at least feel they have a better grasp on the situation and the emotional toll it takes," said Stuart.

For additional information call Cheryl Nagy, Director of Community Recovery at Rebuilding Mountain Hearts and Lives, at (909) 337-9922 or send an e-mail to cnagy@heartsandlives.org.