MIDC, Marin Interagency Disaster Coalition, was started in 1989 following the Loma Prieta earthquake when local organizations understood the need to work collaboratively to provide assistance following a disaster. Initial efforts between the American Red Cross and The Salvation Army included identification of key agency roles and responsibilities as a way to avoid duplication of services during a disaster. In the 1995 Vision Fire MIDC demonstrated to the Marin community and beyond how successful planning and strong collaborative efforts could result in exceptional disaster response and recovery assistance to people affected by a disaster.
In 2019 MIDC was renamed to Marin VOAD to be aligned with the National VOAD. And today, the Marin VOAD continues to demonstrate the value of collaborative relationships among nonprofit and faith-based organizations in disasters. Through the 2017 North Bay Fires, the 2019 Public Safety Power Shutoffs, and the Covid-19 global health pandemic in 2020-2023, Marin VOAD coordinated disaster response between community-based organizations and local and County government agencies across the entire geographical region of Marin, helping residents who were impacted by each disaster.
Whole Community Preparedness
Over the years there has been a shift in thinking about whole community preparedness as part of Emergency Management. From FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) to the California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) to local neighborhood groups, people are recognizing that to be resilient in disasters we must focus on whole community preparedness. VOADs are an integral part of this picture bringing in nonprofit, faith-based, and community organizations, and Marin VOAD will continue to focus on disaster preparedness work for these organizations all across our County so that we are more resilient and better prepared for the disasters that come our way.
We work collaboratively now so that we can respond effectively and efficiently, and not just react when a disaster occurs.
Marin VOAD Objectives
Marin VOAD is focused on the following objectives to help build resilience in our communities and ensure an effective response in a disaster that leaves no one behind.
Develop a County-wide coordinated network of shared resources, information, and response efforts to best serve Marin communities.
Find and fill unmet disaster related needs before, during, and after a disaster.
Support VOAD partners in their disaster preparation and response through networking, training, workshops, and conferences.
Support and assist in disaster response efforts like care and shelter, mass feeding, spontaneous volunteers, pop-up shelters, donations management, financial reimbursement, Local Assistance Centers, and short and long term recovery.
Build relationships throughout and across Marin County helping organizations understand each other’s capabilities, identify gaps and overlaps, and develop coordinated disaster response efforts.
Assist under-represented and socially vulnerable communities by providing support to the organizations that serve them.
Increase the knowledge base of organizations and agencies who will take on roles in disaster response and recovery.
Act as a liaison with local and County government through the County Emergency Operations Center (EOC). Marin VOAD is the only organization to represent all community groups in the EOC and the government disaster response relies on community resources and support in a disaster.
Disaster Preparedness and Response
Marin VOAD works during disasters (called grey skies in emergency management) as well as during blue skies when there is no disaster, with a focus on disaster preparedness in these times. Through monthly meetings, discussions and presentations, training and tabletop exercises, and annual conferences and workshops, we help community-based organizations understand their role in a disaster and be prepared to continue providing their services to at-risk and vulnerable populations in a disaster. With a seat in the Marin County Emergency Operations Center (EOC), Marin VOAD is activated at the onset of a disaster and we work with local and County government agencies to coordinate nonprofits and support them in their work directly helping the community.
Marin VOAD has held presentations on mass feeding, flooding, reimbursement and public assistance programs, Local Assistance Centers, housing protections, mental health, and the workings of the County Emergency Operations Center (EOC).
We have conducted exercises and held discussions to educate partners about how they will respond in a disaster and how we will coordinate resources and collaborate in our disaster response.
We held a Disaster Readiness Conference in 2019, the first of its kind, in which 150 attendees from all over the Bay Area joined us in building a framework for disaster preparedness in Marin County.
We conducted After Action Reviews (AARs) following the disaster responses in the 2017 North Bay Fires, 2019 PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoffs, 2021 severe storms, and 2020-2023 Covid-19 Global Health Pandemic and 2022 Extreme Weather event.
Marin VOAD wrote a collective written response to the 2019 Marin Grand Jury Wildfire Preparedness Report and to the Marin Wildfire Protection Agency in 2022 with recommendations that take into account community groups and at-risk populations and provide specific steps to improve the success of fire preparedness in Marin County.
Marin VOAD works with regional VOADs and COADs (Community Organizations Active in Disaster) in the Bay Area to strengthen our regional cooperative disaster response.
Marin VOAD and Ham radio operators developed the Radio Communication Volunteer program, sponsored by the Marin County Department of Public Works, to provide essential communications between nonprofits providing disaster services and the VOAD at the Emergency Operations Center when telephones and internet do not work following a disaster.
We hold regular conference calls during disasters to keep organizations up to date on the status of the situation, providing information about available County resources, identifying organizations’ needs, and connecting organizations who have available resources. During the Covid-19 global health pandemic we held weekly calls with Marin County Public Health and community organizations to provide updates on case rates, guidelines, testing, and vaccines.
The VOAD coordinates disaster response among nonprofits and between nonprofit organizations and local and County government agencies. During the 2019 Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) the VOAD coordinated food distribution from the SF Marin Food Bank and local community and faith-based organizations to low income communities and communities of older adults who were without power for days.
During the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic Marin VOAD introduced community-based organizations into the planning process for childcare for health care workers, school meals, spontaneous Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) donations, emergency financial assistance, homeless shelters, and food distribution.
We provide key messaging to community-based organizations with information about guidelines and resources to be distributed to their communities. We are also a conduit between these nonprofits and the County disaster response, ensuring that specific language or messaging needed to reach certain populations is implemented in alerts, websites, flyers, social media, and other forms of messaging.
In the event of a disaster, this site is not monitored. Go to emergency.marincounty.org for information and current updates.
