NYC Emergency Management Highlights Seven Community Neworks

Emergency Management


Press Release


For Immediate Release

#38-22

NYC Emergency Management Highlights Seven Community Networks For Completing the Strengthening Communities Program

Program participants created a more resilient community by connecting local community knowledge with the field of emergency management.

June 30, 2022 — The New York City Emergency Management Department announced seven additional community networks across the city have completed the Strengthening Communities program. These networks represent a wide range of community groups that offer important social services in areas most deeply affected by such emergencies as the COVID-19 pandemic and coastal storms. These local leaders were taught how to build emergency preparedness plans to better support their communities before and after an emergency. The seven participating networks were part of the second cohort of the program and represent all five boroughs. Nine community networks completed the inaugural program last summer. The training program focuses on five key areas to build an emergency plan specific to their communities:

Create a needs assessment review.

Design community maps of the area where they provide services.

Build a directory of resources for after an emergency.

Prepare a communications strategy to message their staff before, during, and after emergencies.

Design plans on how to plans to manage donations and accept volunteers.

The program was funded by the City as part of our ongoing commitment to direct support of our communities, and all training courses, coaching and innovative collaborations were provided by New York City Emergency Management’s community engagement unit. To celebrate the completion of the program, the participants were honored during a virtual celebration highlighting their successes, best practices and preparedness events, During this celebration all networks engaged in open dialogue with NYC Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol to share their work, ask questions, and learn from each other.

“NYC Emergency Management’s mission is to prepare New Yorkers for emergencies, but we could not do it without the help of our community partners. The training and resources provided by the Strengthening Communities program will help these dedicated groups strengthen not only their communities but the city at large,” said NYC Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol.

“Strengthening Communities partners host dozens of meetings, summits, trainings and events; now they are beginning to socialize their emergency plans and enhance their connections throughout their communities. We will continue to celebrate their systems, best practices and build out strategies so that NYC Emergency Management is well integrated with every network,” said NYC Emergency Management Director of Community Engagement Moriah Washington. “Because of the networks’ commitment to the process of organizing and preparing, our team is confident they each will know how to better navigate emergencies and the unexpected.”

The seven grant recipients reflect New York City’s diverse communities and showcase invaluable support provided by community organizations to the public. Each community network received a $20,000 grant to build its emergency preparedness plan and support local community resources. These networks will join the network of community partners coordinated through NYC Emergency Management’s community preparedness unit.

The networks are:

Brooklyn – Fifth Avenue Committee, Inc

Brooklyn – Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island: Southern Brooklyn COAD

Bronx – The Point CDC

Manhattan – LES Ready

Queens – REMA4US

Queens – Neighborhood Housing Services of Queens CDC, Inc

Staten Island – Staten Island COAD

Community networks interested in becoming a partner can find out more information about the Strengthening Communities program by checking out the latest video or visiting nyc.gov/communitypreparedness.

NYC Emergency Management’s Community Engagement Unit

The community engagement unit helps local networks build capacity within their community to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies. This includes training classes and events, a Community Preparedness Council of community and faith-based organizations and connecting established community networks to the City’s Emergency Operations Center during a disaster.

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