Rotarians hear update on disaster group

by Staff Pioneer Times
9 years ago
By Diane Hines
Houlton Rotarian
PT BU ROTARY SPEAKERS 14 16 17382690Contributed photo/Nate Bodenstab
GUEST SPEAKERS — The Houlton Rotary Club hosted two guest speakers Monday, March 28, as Rotarian Dennis Ashley, right, invited Dixie Shaw from Catholic Charities and Deacon Al Burleigh from St. Mary of the Visitation to speak. 

 

HOULTON — The Houlton Rotary Club hosted two guest speakers Monday, March 28, as Rotarian Dennis Ashley invited Dixie Shaw from Catholic Charities and Deacon Al Burleigh from St. Mary of the Visitation to speak.

The guest speakers introduced the club to COAD, Community Organizations Active in Disaster. This organization was formed in response to the floods of 2008 in the St. John Valley of northern Maine.

At the time, Shaw placed a notification to help provide food and water for the victims. FEMA arrived and were helpful in organizing the disaster relief, but due to policy changes and restructuring FEMA will no longer comes to the County. Population numbers now determine whether FEMA will respond to disasters.

A group of people decided that, in the event of another disaster, the people in the County would have to come to the aid of local communities by themselves and would have to better understand the process. Shaw realized that it wasn’t enough to act on instinct. There had to be internal structure.

 

PT BU ROTARY2 14 16 17382692Contributed photo/Nate Bodenstab
NEW ROTARIAN — Kay Fleming, left, has joined the Houlton Rotary Club. Fleming, a resident of New Limerick, is the new manager of Ace Rent-a-Car. She enjoys volleyball and soccer. She majored in athletic training in college and served for awhile as a Christian missionary. With Fleming is Rotary President Jane Torres
 

Because of the size of Aroostook County there are now three COAD groups. One in southern Aroostook led by Al Burleigh, one in Caribou and one in northern Maine. The organization also encompasses the towns of Danforth in Washington County and Patten in Penobscot County.

The goal is to collaborate and coordinate disaster recovery resources and services to all the involved communities.

Bringing together volunteer agencies, businesses, faith based groups, elected officials, local governments, educational institutions, shelters, local tribes, food pantries, social services, health services, protection services such as fire and ambulance, local clubs as well as border patrol, national guard under an umbrella of COAD is the general purpose of this collaborative effort. The process is fulfilled with cooperation, coordination, communications and preparedness. This is not a competitive venture but the goal is to create a harmonious and well tuned effort.

Some assets to the cause are the Southern Aroostook Agricultural Museum that is now set up as a relief center. Other centers are to be found at the Houlton High School, Border Patrol Headquarters, Law Enforcement centers and the Fire Department in Houlton. Al gave his contact information through Catholic Charities as aburleigh@ccmaine.org at 112 Military Street in Houlton. There is a hands on project called CCHOP team that can be reached at 781-8550.