COACHELLA VALLEY DISASTER PREPAREDNESS NETWORK

The Mission of CVDPN is to prepare citizens of the Coachella Valley for catastrophic events by providing training, education, and networking opportunities. CVDPN's motto is "No Community Left Behind". We have created and fostered an all-inclusive outreach program to reach our vision of building cohesive, self-sufficient, and resilient citizens who are prepared to meet the challenges of major disasters and stressful situations, whether natural or human caused.

HISTORY: Two grassroots organizations dedicated to citizen disaster preparedness were created in the North and South Coachella Valley in 2000. In 2014 they combined and in 2017 the new organization, renamed the Coachella Valley Disaster Preparedness Network (CVDPN) became a 501 (c)3 non-profit.

For the prior 17 years there had been little or no emphasis on education and training provided to the Spanish speaking residents of the Valley about disaster preparedness by the previous committees. The greatest threat to the Coachella Valley residents is earthquakes.

We are currently working hard to extend our programs, education and outreach to a wider more inclusive population: farmworkers, mobile home parks, community organizations, businesses and the elderly and vulnerable in Assisted Living, Nursing, and Home Care facilities. Our goal is to teach them the importance of personal and corporate preparation that are for disasters and understand how they can take simple, important steps for preparation that are critical to their ability to survive.

We teach in person, online and in the communities, providing education and networking on behalf of the Riverside County Office on Aging, The Riverside County Emergency Management Department, the Federal Emergency Management Association, the National Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Earthquake Country Alliance, the American Red Cross, The Hero In You Foundation (Rocket Rules) and many more.

We participate in appropriate community events dozens of times each year providing germane materials and instruction. We do presentations to all other groups who wish them such as homeowner and community associations, businesses, the Chambers of Commerce, the Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG), Riverside Emergency Managers' Association and more. We collaborate with the municipalities, the community councils of the incorporated areas and government and non-governmental agencies throughout the Valley.

Our impact on our Valley is exponential. When we train 30 people and provide them with the tools to create their personalized Disaster Plans, they share it to the benefit hundreds or thousands of citizens. At community events like the College of the Desert Great California Shake Out we provided hundreds of people with educational materials and guidance. At the Little League Opening Day we handed out age-appropriate disaster training to hundreds of children and their parents.

To say our community outreach is provided to about 50,000 Coachella Valley residents a year would not be an overstatement as we are also frequently quoted or reported on by our local televisions news and newspapers.
CVDPN and ECA have a win-win community partnership. Visit earthquakecountry.org for more information.

We rely on the experts, such as ECA, for the educational information that we distribute throughout the Coachella Valley.

Testimonials

In a time when human resources are stretched thin and demand for emergency response is high, Coachella Valley Disaster Preparedness Network has stepped up for Cathedral City." " Their professional demeanor, and dedication to serve the public has really worked well in addressing our needs." "We have been able to collaboratively join forces and avoid duplications of effort that sometimes occur when boundaries exist. I urge all cities to explore what it is that CVDPN can do for your community.
Chief John Muhr (retired)
JMuhr@cathedralcity.gov

The Hero in You Foundation, Rocket Rules, has worked with CVDPN since late 2020 and found them to be the number one disaster preparedness nonprofit in the Coachella Valley. At every opportunity they are sharing the message of being personally prepared. They have provided thousands of copies of Rocket Rules to children and their families. Examples would be at The Living Desert Howloween event (1800), and recently (1000) at the Opening Day of Little League, in addition to many other events. They genuinely follow their mission of training, educating, and networking people of all ages.
Bunni Benaron
bunni@rocketrules.org

CVDPN plays a key role in protecting the health and safety of my constituents in the Coachella Valley.
Congressman Raul Ruiz

The work that CVDPN does and continues to do is vital to the safety and security of the entire Coachella Valley.
Manuel Perez
County Supervisor

This relationship [between ECA and CVDPN] works very well...