National VOAD Drought and Wildfire Taskforce

Community Issues: We have prioritized the topics for Community Issues as the following:

1. Community Development/Rural Community Losses (this would need to be at a federal and state level with implementation or assistance from VOAD, but is really too large for VOAD to tackle alone)

2. Education to the general public (Prevention and Recovery) We think this is a critical issue. We are compiling a number of important resource links on this issue. We believe a tool kit/education campaign is needed on this across the country.

3. Behavioral Health Spiritual Care is a term VOAD organizations use. How to identify and how to make referrals. This was a topic of discussion with the Texas Disaster Behavioral Health Committee and we think we need to identify the HHS resources at State and Federal level available to VOADS during disasters and define protocols.

4 .Economic Stress (define and provide solutions) Look at micro loans as a way to help which is different than the normal direct assistance.

5. Whole Community Response: How can we engage all of our partners in understanding that the Drought is a Disaster and we all need to work together to respond and educate the community on the National Drought.

Family/Individual:

  • Counseling for adaptation – people moving from rural to urban areas-
  • Add in Emotional and Spiritual Care and Functional Needs
  • Drought and fire long-term recovery activities: how they are the same and they are different – mitigation issues once the fire has occurred, how it can be prevented in the future, and how can communities recover from its affects really do differ from drought recovery.
  • Recommendation: This could also fit under procedural since we need to figure out our role along with National Disaster Recovery Framework.
  • Should we discuss “public assistance” vs. “individual assistance”? Congress’ passage of a Farm bill or State assistance will affect what needs are out there and how many of our voluntary agencies, as well as Federal agencies, will respond.
  • Family disturbances in highly stressed/ most affected areas
  • Living structures – foundation problems on some houses (Structural engineers?)
  • Situational poverty which causes poor coping ability – looking at Middle/working class and how this will impact them. They generally have poor coping skills due to having gotten by before and not knowing what services they can get access to.
  • Very important point, but be careful regarding use of the word “poverty”. Poverty level is specifically defined by Federal government. Could re-title the issue to – “household economic harm”. – Use poverty
  • Suicides, family distress
  • Tribal nation issues – Move this to Community Issue grouping.
  • Wells going Dry –
  • Migrant Labor/Families

Farm/Ranch Operations:

Procedural: