The global crisis caused by COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc on a global scale. In response to the need for relevant resources and commentary, NCDP has a COVID-19 resource microsite. During this time of uncertainty, we here at the National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP), are focused on ensuring a rapid, evidence-based response to the COVID-19 outbreak, while also working to protect the physical and mental well-being of those that are most vulnerable. The site will be updated on a regular basis with expert commentary, tools and resources, and virtual events.

To continue assessing the impact of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill on families and their children, the “Understanding Resilience Attributes for Children, Youth, and Communities in the Wake of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill” (RCYC) study was launched by NCDP and Louisiana State University, funded by the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI). The study findings will help to see if there is evidence that health impacts on children and their families are getting better, worse, or staying the same as years go by. Our field team is currently interviewing in five communities in Louisiana.  

For more information on the RCYC study, click here.

Click here for a FAQ Q&A video series posted as a Twitter moment, featuring LSU’s RCYC Study Coordinator Kathryn Sweet Keating.

To increase resilience of power distribution systems in electrical utilities, Commonwealth Edison and the National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Columbia Climate School, at Columbia University have created a partnership that incorporates insights in social vulnerability with advances in electrical grid design and implementation. This reservoir of thought leadership will help inform further improvements in community and electrical grid resilience through socially informed technology deployment strategies. The goal of this innovative thought leadership is to help maintain and increase access to reliable electricity, which underpins all of society’s most essential daily operations.

Child serving institutions are central to a community’s preparedness, and to ensure the well-being of children before, during and after disasters. Despite this, these institutions are left out of the preparedness and planning equation, sometimes without resources or the capacity to provide needed tools to quickly recover. Under a grant from GSK, NCDP is working to change this. To learn more about the RCRC Initiative, visit the RCRC Homepage.

In partnership with community leaders, the Resilient Children/Resilient Communities (RCRC) Initiative analyzed, recommended, and implemented procedures, training, and guidance to help build child-focused community resilience to disasters. As a result of the RCRC Initiative efforts, RCRC Toolbox has been created. The RCRC Toolbox is a dynamic collection of resources developed and curated throughout this initiative for the benefit of those working to make our communities and our children more resilient to disasters. This collection of tools and resources can be shared widely with communities nationwide.