b'In 2017, my family and I visited the Arknities, we are on the front lines of needing our Encounter in Williamstown, Kentucky. What aown disaster response plans. We must also find fascinating history to read. It impressed me with aways to participate in emergency management deeper perspective on the magnitude of planning,planning within our communities. This requires hard work, grit, and trusting the process requiredintentional focus, commitment, humility, of Noah to survive the coming disaster. If you havenetworking, advocacy, and gritjust like Noah! visited the Ark, you can relate to the magnitude ofFrom conversations with missions nationwide, the task and what surviving this disaster required.I have learned we are all over the board regarding If you have not, add it to your bucket list!disaster response plans. In my Federal Emergency Emergency management and disaster responseManagement Agency (FEMA) training, we have are at a pivotal moment for all communities. Werun simulations based on real-life disasters, and have seen the results and experienced the impactthe reality is businesses, cities, counties, states, of no plans, poor plans, and untested plans. Theseand our nation are in the same inconsistent state are devastating to our organizations; our staff;of readiness. We are also exposed to a symptom the men, women, and families we serve; and ourI learned in my training called PPPE (perception, communities. As a result, communities find them- people, politics, and ego). This combination gets selves without support, with the wrong resources,involved in disaster responses, slowing down our with poor resource timing, and frustrated withorganizations or our communitys ability to ask for what seems like a lack of wisdom.and receive the necessary resources and support. Because we serve the most vulnerable commu- For Mel Trotter Ministries (MTM), we have 8 WWW.CITYGATENETWORK.ORG JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2025'