Building Resilience with Diverse Communities (BRDC) is an engagement process developed by the Center for Faith-based & Neighborhood Partnerships at the US Department of Homeland Security / FEMA (DHS Center) to help local communities implement the concept of “whole community”. Since 2010, the DHS Center has worked alongside jurisdictions across the country to help emergency managers, police, and fire officials engage with their faith and community leaders.
Through a seven-step process, previously unreached partners are identified and engaged; capabilities are assessed; leaders participate in training, technical assistance, and emergency exercises; groups are affiliated along the emergency continuum; and government agencies incorporate the efforts of faith and community groups into their policies, plans, and standard operating procedures. The process has been implemented in varying degrees. Outlined below is a description of each effort and a list of the leaders who are being honored for their contributions.
Miami-Dade Communities Organized to Respond in Emergencies (Miami-Dade C.O.R.E.), Miami-Dade County, Florida
Miami-Dade was the first BRDC location starting in 2010 as a research project that evolved into a replicable practice project. Miami-Dade Emergency Management (MDEM) wanted the work with the DHS Center to produce tangible results for its community and other communities nationwide. Beginning with 15 faith and community leaders in March, 2010, the MDEM effort increased to more than 90 network leaders from houses of worship and community organizations who are members of Miami-Dade C.O.R.E. These leaders have partnered with MDEM over the past six years to produce some of the model templates now used by other jurisdictions around the country, including: a capabilities assessment tool; two manuals on background, process development, and operating procedures; a database template to communicate with faith and community members; and branding materials.
Honorees:
Sherry Capers, Whole Community Planner, Miami-Dade County Emergency Management
Hattie Willis, Communities United
Roly Gonzalez, Share Your Heart/Victory for Youth
Isabel Gonzalez, Share Your Heart/Victory for Youth
LaVerne Elie-Scott, Curley’s House
LaVerne Holliday, Curley’s House
William Henderson, ICNA Relief USA, Inc.
Curtis Sommerhoff, Director, Miami-Dade Emergency Management
Ebony Jackson, The Resource Room
Dr. Shirley B. Johnson, Miami-Dade Branch, NAACP
Missy Monokian, The Jabez Center
Abdul Rauf Khan, ICNA Relief USA, Inc.
The Faith Community Roundtable, Los Angeles, California
BRDC efforts began through conversations with leaders at the University of Southern California Center for Religion and Civic Culture This process involved several government partners from the City of Las Angeles, including Human Relations, Fire, Emergency Management and police. Over time, the Los Angeles Emergency Management Department (LA EMD) established the Faith Community Roundtable as part of its emergency preparedness and operations efforts. Their efforts include outreach, consistent engagement with, and assessment of, more than 40 network leaders representing more than 1,000 houses of worship; ongoing training and technical assistance; incorporation of faith leaders in tabletop and full-scale exercises; continued engagement of new groups; development of a rotational faith-based seat in the city’s emergency operations center; annual megachurch/community preparedness fairs; and incorporating faith groups’ capabilities into policies, plans, and operating procedures.
Honorees:
Joann Troncale, Emergency Manager, Los Angeles Emergency Management Department
Brie Loskota, University of Southern California Center for Religion & Civic Culture
Alicia Hamilton, PACRED (Preparation & Awareness for Community Resiliency in Emergencies and Disasters)
Jason Periard, Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles
Eileen O’Brien, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles
Brenda Bennett, Crenshaw Christian Center
Anthony Washington, Crenshaw Christian Center
Alton Glaze, Ward African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church
Michoel Bloom, Hatzolah EMS of Los Angeles
Ravi Singh, Khalsa Peace Corps
Jacquie Singh, Khalsa Peace Corps
Angela Evans, CEO, Crenshaw Christian Center
Rev. Barbara Brooks, First AME Church, Los Angeles
Kimmie Turner, Baptist Ministers’ Conference of Los Angeles and Surrounding Cities
Umar Hakim, ILM Foundation (American Muslim Mission)
Hyepin Im, Korean Churches for Community Development
Martin Garcia, World Vision
Rev. Benjamin Hollins, Price Chapel AME Church
Michael Lynch, Crenshaw Christian Center
Allen Crabbe, Jr., Crenshaw Christian Center
Woodie Coleman, AME Churches Disaster Preparedness Coalition
LA Interfaith Clergy Coalition/Pledge to Prepare, Los Angeles County, CA
Los Angeles County began its BRDC efforts in 2014. Since then, they have developed and supported two Pledge to Prepare campaigns, utilizing the faith community to encourage preparedness during their interactions with their congregations over a single weekend. In the first Pledge to Prepare, FEMA Corps teams worked alongside the county to engage more than 130 houses of worship to “Get Information”, “Get a Kit”, “Get a Plan”, and “Get Involved”. The LA Interfaith Clergy Coalition (the Coalition) was established to maintain the connection between emergency management agencies and the faith community to increase personal preparedness activities like Pledge to Prepare in communities the houses of worship serves. Most recently, the Coalition joined representatives from city police, fire, and county sheriff to engage the LGBTQ community in dialogue on how they can work together to make their communities safer for everyone.
Honorees:
Leslie Luke, Deputy Director, Los Angeles County Emergency Management
Bishop Juan Carlos Mendez, Churches in Action
Osas Otasowie, American Red Cross, Greater Los Angeles Region
Adnan Khan, Council on Pakistani American Affairs
Rev. Janet Weiland, Church of Scientology Public Affairs & Volunteer Disaster Relief Ministers
Curtis Hsing and National Volunteers, Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation
South Los Angeles Teen CERT Collaborative, Los Angeles County, California
The South Los Angeles Teen CERT Collaborative (The Collaboration) includes community activists, partners, and sponsors who have collaborated to empower at-risk youth, diverse and vulnerable communities utilizing CERT as a vehicle for harm reduction. Their motto: “Collaboration is the New Currency!” The Collaborative uses a 5-C approach in its efforts: Community Engagement, Commitment, Collaboration, CERT, and CPR/First Aid. Since 2013, the Collaborative has trained 13 cohorts, engaging, educating, and empowering more than 300 youth, young adults, and adults in some of the most diverse and vulnerable communities in Los Angeles. As a result of their successful 5-C Approach to Building Community Resilience, the Collaborative received the Third Annual John D. Solomon Whole Community Preparedness Award in September of 2013.
Honorees:
Shamika Ossey, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
Sharon Sylvers-Sidney, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
Adnan Khan, Council on Pakistani American Affairs
Pauline Slyker, 7-Eleven Franchise Owners’ Association, Southern California
Captain Christopher Cooper, Los Angeles Fire Department
John Jones III, City of Los Angeles, Office of Councilman Joe Buscaino
Joshua Jones, Eastside Riders (Bikers’ Association)
Willie Latimore, Elite City Foundation
Keith Linton, Boys 2 Gentlemen (B2G)
Tim Watkins, Watts Labor Community Action Committee (WLCAC)
Clarence Spencer, Tuskegee Airmen Foundation, Detroit, MI
Lakewood Clergy Association and NJ Chaplains Association, Lakewood, New Jersey
With leadership from the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, New Jersey Office of Homeland Security & Preparedness and the New Jersey Chaplains Association, BRDC began in Lakewood in October 2014. Under the leadership of the Township Police Chief, with support from the Town Council, DHS Center worked with several FEMA Corps teams to engage with faith leaders. The town recovered from Hurricane Sandy with much effort by many. Lessons observed from that experience prompted the police chief to engage with African American and Hispanic churches. In partnership with the Lakewood Clergy Association, Lakewood Civilian Safety Watch, and others, twenty-seven African-American and Hispanic houses of worship were involved in the process. FEMA’s National Exercise Division conducted one of the first-ever faith-based tabletop exercises and FEMA National Preparedness Assessment Division conducted an impact study on the process. After sixteen months, awareness was raised among faith leaders. This was demonstrated by faith leaders willingness to work together across religious and ethnic lines to make their communities more resilient.
Honorees:
Dave Leonardis, New Jersey Office of the Attorney General
Chaplain Yisrael Burzstyn, Deputy Coordinator, Lakewood Office of Emergency Management
Dr. Edward Harper, Macedonia Baptist Church
Pastor Marcia Griffin, New Life Christian Center
Rev. Sandra Gonzalez, Overseer, Lakewood Clergy Association
John Paige, New Jersey Office of Homeland Security & Preparedness
Chaplain Shabsi Ganzweig, New Jersey Chaplains’ Association
Chaplain Yaakov Wenger, New Jersey Chaplains’ Association
Chief Robert Lawson (retired) Lakewood Police Department
Meir Lichtenstein, Township Committeeman
Michael D’Elia, Township Committeeman
Chief Greg Meyer, Lakewood Police Department
Dov Dembitzer, Lakewood Emergency Management Services Advisory Board
Lt. Robert DeSimone, Lakewood Homeland Security
Apostle Thomas Simpson, Intercessory Tabernacle Ministries
Tamara Watt, Intercessory Tabernacle Ministries
Yeslie Williams, Bethel Spanish Pentecostal
Dr. Michael Rush, Lakewood NAACP
Missionary Pentecostal Church of God, Lakewood
New Orleans Resilient NOLA/NOLA Ready
The City of New Orleans (NOLA), in partnership with the DHS Center and staff from the FEMA Louisiana Recovery Office, began its BRDC effort in 2016 to work alongside the faith-based community. This outreach, an integral component of the city's Resilient NOLA/NOLA Ready program, connected government with the faith-based community, building a network of resources and a robust culture of preparedness. In less than six months, NOLA engaged more than 30 houses of worship and community leaders; hosted its first-ever faith-based tabletop hurricane exercise (during National Hurricane week); and, is in the process of developing a faith-based sub-committee of its local emergency planning committee.
Honorees:
Frances Hawkins, The McFarland Institute, Baptist Community Ministries
Ryan Mast, FEMA Louisiana Recovery Office
Aaron Miller, Director
City of New Orleans Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness
Dev Jani, Chief, Planning & Preparedness
City of New Orleans Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness
Charles Allen III, Resilience Outreach Manager, City of New Orleans Mayor's Office of Resilience & Sustainability
City of Albuquerque Faith Leaders Forum, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque began its BRDC effort with the DHS Center in April, 2016 at the urging of the city’s emergency manager. The Mayor’s Albuquerque Faith Leaders’ Forum acted as a starting point to the effort of engaging the whole community in emergency preparedness activities. Under the banner of “Because We Care, We Prepare”—and after only four months—the Albuquerque Faith Leaders’ Forum convened more than 150 faith leaders learn about the city’s BRDC efforts. The approach is three-fold: stewardship (taking care of one’s own); partnership (neighbors helping neighbors); and, leadership (faith leaders committed to sustaining the effort). Ultimately, Albuquerque’s emergency manager hopes to establish an Albuquerque C.O.R.E., modeled after Miami-Dade, to provide support in the emergency operations center and to support the sustained community preparedness effort.
Honorees:
Roger Ebner, Director, City of Albuquerque Office of Emergency Management
Deacon Steve Rangel, Albuquerque Faith Leaders Forum
Paul Jew, Albuquerque Faith Leaders Forum
Bishop David Cooper, Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International
Elder Maxsimo Torres, Area 70, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
Chuck Brown, Albuquerque Faith Leaders Forum
Abbas Akhil, Islamic Center of New Mexico
Zachary Benjamin, Jewish Federation of New Mexico
Rev. Danny Whatley, The Rock at Noon Day
Jessica and Brian Rule, Blake’s Lot-A-Burger
Lori Baca, Albuquerque Chaplains Association