The Lyon County COAD is an organization of volunteers from across the community who work together to respond to individual and community needs in a coordinated manner to meet the needs of victims of disasters of all kinds, natural or manmade.
COAD meets from 11:00-1:00 on the 1st Thursday of every month at the Lyon County Extension office 2632 US-50, Emporia.
Disasters can occur anytime, anywhere. As one way to prepare to respond to them, community leaders around the country have formed volunteer organizations to supplement and complement the work of local authorities during and after disasters
These organizations are known as Community Organizations Active in Disaster, or COADs.
Emporia's Healthier Community Alliance (HCA) has sponsored the development of a COAD for Emporia and Lyon County, with support and encouragement from Lyon County Emergency Management. Lyon County COAD (LC COAD) is included in the county's emergency operations plan.
LC-COAD is not a direct response agency. It supports other response agencies. Its mission is to support, not duplicate. Operating at its best, under the purview of local authorities, the LC-COAD will help prevent duplication of services through its primary mission, which is to direct the activities of other volunteers and volunteer agencies.
It is likely that within 72 hours of a disaster in Emporia or Lyon County, volunteers — sometimes hundreds of them — will arrive and want to help in any way they can.
LC-COAD's primary function will be to activate a volunteer reception center to receive,screen and employ these spontaneous volunteers productively.
Managing volunteer resources in planned way, via the COAD model, maximizes and makes full use of the energy and commitment volunteers and volunteer agencies bring to a disaster scene and can prevent duplication of services.
LC-COAD can do this because it is not a direct-response agency but supports response agencies operating within Lyon County's Emergency Operations Plan.
The LC-COAD does not operate on its own but activates its volunteer reception center when called to do so by the Lyon County Emergency Manager.
Voluntary agencies and faith-based groups
– people who serve and care –
As the response effort develops over several days, the LC-COAD might then take on its secondary function of helping victims sort through their recovery options, the volunteer reception center evolving into a victim recovery center. In this mode, this center serves as a clearinghouse for assistance to those who have been affected by a disaster and provides guidance in seeking assistance from federal and state agencies as well as local sources of aid.
This function of a COAD is critical to recovery because invariably some families fall through the disaster assistance cracks. That's where a COAD makes its unique contribution because each local member agency or business brings its own expertise to the recovery effort. The LC-COAD’s strength is in the diversity of its members who can bring an array of services and resources to address a problem.
LC-COAD is an organization of volunteers from across the county.
LC-COAD participates in and supports other Kansas COAD's, Lyon County and other Kansas Emergency Management agencies.
LC-COAD is a part of a national program called Citizen Corps, a component of the USA Freedom Corps coordinated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
You, as an individual, a business or an organization living or operating in Emporia and Lyon County are welcome and encouraged to join LC-COAD.
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