The Humboldt Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) is a partnership of local organizations, government agencies, and community groups committed to disaster preparedness, education, response, and recovery. The Humboldt COAD has hired Alison Sterling Nichols as Coordinator to help establish, launch, and support the COAD network.

Sterling Nichols brings years of project management and community organizing experience to helping coordinate the multi-faceted network needed for community preparedness. “We have so many skilled and capable people in our community who train and prepare to face anything,” Sterling Nichols said. “I am honored to do what I can to help ensure our community is ready for any disaster that we may face.”

Partners supporting the relaunch of COAD include the Humboldt County’s Office of Emergency Services, the Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services, the Humboldt County’s Joint Information Center, the Patricia D. & William B. Smullin Foundation, St. Joseph Health Humboldt, the Humboldt Area Foundation, First Five Humboldt, Humboldt State University, College of the Redwoods, Food for People, Blue Lake Rancheria, the McKinleyville Family Resource Center, and the McLean Foundation.

The Humboldt COAD Coordinator position is being funded by contributions from the Humboldt Area Foundation, the Humboldt Health Foundation, the Patricia D. & William B. Smullin Foundation, St. Joseph Health Humboldt, and the Vesper Society. 

The College of the Redwoods Foundation serves as the host agency for the Humboldt COAD Coordinator position and provides fiscal and management oversight.  Marty Coelho, Executive Director of College Advancement and the CR Foundation said, “acting as the host agency for the COAD Coordinator fits into College of the Redwoods’ role in providing emergency and disaster support through our first responder career education programs, acting as a host agency for Humboldt’s Community Response Team Trainings (CERT), and organizing community summits such as the Redwoods Disaster Summit which was canceled last March due to COVID.”

Organizers of the COAD’s refresh want to offer a sincere thanks to Jeanette Hurst, Director of 211 and previous Chair of COAD for all her efforts, and to the COAD’s prior steering committee of Ryan Derby (OES), Heather Muller (Humboldt County Joint Information Center), Ryan Aylward (NOAA), Corey Tipton (Food For People), Greg Waters (OES), Janet Foos (Redwood Coast Regional Center) and Andrew Bogar (American Red Cross).

In reforming its operational structure, the Humboldt COAD is moving forward to facilitate communication, collaboration, and coordination among entities working in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery in Humboldt County.  If your organization is interested in the Humboldt COAD, please contact Alison Sterling Nichols at alison@humboldtcoad.org.

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