By Southwester Staff
On July 26, the coalition of DC Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (DC VOAD) members elected former FEMA staffer and chair of a grassroots preparedness group SW Strong! Ben Curran as the new chair. VOAD members also voted Peggy Keller of We The People Community Health Care Workers and Rolando Delgado of SAMU First Response into office as treasurer and secretary.
The DC VOAD voting membership is comprised of several independent non-profit organizations that focus on promoting disaster prevention and preparedness in the District of Columbia. In addition, DC VOAD members partner with District government agencies to provide response and recovery support to disaster survivors, as needed and as feasible.
Members include the American Red Cross, Churches of Scientology Disaster Response, Crisis Clean Up, DC Amateur Radio Emergency Services, DC Baptist Disaster Response, Green Cross Academy of Traumatology, Islamic Medical Association of North America, Islamic Relief USA, Operation BBQ, Operation Blessing, Reach Out America, SAMU First Response, St. Vincent de Paul Disaster Services, SW Strong!, Team Rubicon, Tzu Chi Foundation, US Veteran Relief Corps, Ward 7 Resilience Hub, and We the People Community Health Care Workers.Additional groups are expected to join in the coming months.
With the increased frequency of devastating disasters in many parts of the country, our new DC VOAD leadership team is deeply committed to working with District government partners, civic associations, Business Improvement Districts, social service organizations, DC clubs, youth groups, and private sector partners to strengthen the “unity of effort” among these sectors and together to help build a disaster resilient city.