Taos Writes a Playbook for Disaster Preparation, Response, and Recovery

The winter storms in Taos in late 2021 that left may Taoseños without power and the massive wildfires burning near Taos this summer have revealed a lack of sufficient emergency preparedness, response, and recover coordination. Communities Organized Against Disaster (COAD)—a group of concerned residents working to improve outcomes during disasters—identified the need for a community-wide response, where private sector leaders, community members, and government work together to meet the immediate unmet need before, during, and after disaster strikes. To accomplish this, COAD approached LOR for funding to support a project manager to operationalize disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. The Town plans to allocate funding to ongoing coordination efforts, but LOR’s funding is essential to getting the project started while the fires still burn near Taos.