There is strength in the Greenville Community in the vast array of organizations that have the capabilities and resources to respond in times of disaster as well as the individual spirit of volunteerism among citizens to help those in need. The Upstate Red Cross Chapter employs the nations first and only Community Disaster Preparedness Specialist (CDPS) to ensure that the strength continues to grow and that our communities ability to respond to disaster becomes more efficient through the maximization of resources and manpower.
Evidence of this strength was shown in 2005 when our community hosted individuals and families at the Palmetto Expo Center who had been displaced as a result of Hurricane Katrina. There are many organizations poised to offer assistance in times of disaster--working to create partnerships with those organizations maximizes the strength and effectiveness of disaster response.
The Community Disaster Preparedness Specialist is charged with assessing what disaster response programs are currently available in the Greenville community, determining community readiness for disaster response and working to create partnerships around this issue.
At the heart of the CDPS position is the revitalization of the Greenville County Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster. The VOAD movement is based on the values of cooperation, communication, coordination, and collaboration. The Greenville County VOAD brings together organizations in the community that will assist residents in the event of a disaster, coordinate service delivery planning, and reduce the duplication of services to victims of disaster.
The CDPS also supports the work of the local Citizen Corps, the Community Emergency Response Team (or CERT) program and the Local Emergency Planning Committee which all work to raise public awareness about disaster preparedness and trains ordinary citizens in how they can respond in their local area during times of disaster.
The CDPS is a partnership between the American Red Cross and local government. The hope of those at the Upstate Chapter is that as the benefits of this pilot position become evident through a well-oiled community disaster response, other chapters and communities across the nation will duplicate this effort, thereby helping countless thousands of Americans become better prepared to respond to, prevent, and survive any disaster that may strike there hometown.
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