Mobile Selected as Pilot Site for Emergency Preparedness Program

Jan 29th, 2008

Mobile has been chosen as the national pilot site by the OASIS Foundation of America (OFA), headquartered in Montgomery, Ala., for a community-based readiness and response program. The announcement was made Jan. 28 at a media briefing held at the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce that included OASIS representatives, officials from the City of Mobile, law enforcement agencies, the United Way of Southwest Alabama, The American Red Cross, Gulf Coast Chapter and area emergency management leaders.

Joe Montgomery, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of OFA and CEO of the OASIS Ad Group, and Mike Llewellyn, president of OASIS, which is headquartered in Lexington, Ky., said that the organization is the nation’s only philanthropy whose singular mission is to empower communities through capacity-building, access to vital resources and the providing of necessary tools to be ready for any type of disaster. To better meet the Foundation’s objectives, OFA has partnered with the United Ways of Alabama (UWAL), the association of the state’s 26 individual United Ways, and brings together relevant representatives of government, non-profit, faith-based and business sectors in order to build consensus, heighten cooperation and improve effectiveness.

"The supplies in these strategically placed units will help our first responders and their support personnel in the event of a crisis," says Mayor Jones. "This is yet another tool to strengthen our preparedness and our ability to answer the call in an emergency."

OFA programs include support of a United Way 2-1-1 Information and Referral System, a Supplies on Site initiative and an Emergency Broadcasting Network.
Spearheaded in Alabama by UWAL, the 2-1-1 program consists of an easy-to-remember, 3-digit telephone number which connects citizens with important community services and volunteer opportunities. While services do currently vary by community, they include basic human needs; physical and mental health resources; supports for employment, older Americans and persons with disabilities as well as those for children, youth and families.

The Supplies on Site initiative, also known as the S.O.S. program, is designed to pre-stage and pre-deploy disaster commodities directly into communities at no expense to the community. These supplies are stored in sturdy, durable and attractive READI-Port stations, approximately 8’x10’x16’ in size, that will be strategically placed within the community. OFA works with local emergency management agencies to determine specific supply and storage needs with the result being a comprehensive mapping of inventories accessible at required times. The S.O.S. program is funded primarily by revenues generated from the sale of advertising; which is displayed digitally in state-of-the-art high definition on the sides of the READI-Port stations. The pilot program in Mobile includes a READI-Port station currently located on-site at the American Red Cross headquarters in downtown Mobile at the intersection of Broad and Conti streets. This station will remain at that location throughout the Mobile Mardi Gras season and beyond, and is stocked with supplies that can be accessed by local law enforcement agencies during any carnival-related emergency.