Community Organizations Active in Disaster

All health & human services and Hernando businesses are welcomed to join Hernando's monthly virtual COAD via Zoom, the last Monday of the month at 9:30AM.

The Hernando COAD was not formed in response to COVID-19, however, community partners now meet monthly virtually, and in-person when necessary. A strong community is vital. The Hernando COAD is committed to helping health & human services increase engagement with other community partners and foster successful outcomes and updates.

Email United Way CEO & Hernando COAD Coordinator
Angie@UnitedWayHernando.org for more information.

COAD Meeting Notes:

Meeting #98

HERNANDO COAD MEETING #98 NOTES

2/23/26 - Thank you all for joining this morning’s COAD Meeting. Here’s an accurate summary below, including touched on attachments for follow up. Reference agenda for noted links.

Quick recap

The Hernando Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) meeting focused on updates and coordination efforts related to disaster preparedness and response in Hernando County. Participants discussed the success of the recent Warming Center operations, which served 199 individuals over 16 nights, and highlighted the need for volunteers to staff future centers. The group reviewed the upcoming Hernando Prepares Hurricane and Safety Expo scheduled for April 26th at Hernando High School. Updates were shared on mental health initiatives, including NAMI's new men's group and ongoing support services, while the Early Learning Coalition announced a new trauma-informed parenting class starting in April. The meeting also covered emergency assistance funding challenges, shelter availability at the Dawn Center, and the need for disaster relief volunteers. Participants were reminded to pre-register for volunteer opportunities and to stay informed about upcoming events and training sessions.

ACTION ITEMS

Angie: Add interested parties (including Mike from NAMI, Diana, Kendra, Erin, Nancy, Ron, and others who express interest) to the Warming/Cooling Center Subcommittee communications list. Aim to schedule meeting over the next 2 weeks.
Angel (Emergency Management): Send Angie vendor application for the Hernando Prepares Hurricane and Safety Expo for interested parties today.
Erin and Angie: Share Jennifer's (Warning Coordination Meteorologist) slides from the debrief meeting with the group. (see attached)
Ron (People Helping People): Finalize and announce new location for March 18th Homeless Initiative meeting and notify all participants.
Michael (NAMI) and Angie: Meet around 2pm to discuss potential LTRG support group outreach site at East Library branch and determine needs/expectations for the site.
Angie: Promote next mental health first aid training to Warming Center volunteers and interested parties once date is received from NAMI.
All COAD members: Pre-register as Disaster Relief Volunteers via the provided link to receive information about training opportunities (e.g., mental health first aid, warming station training).
Angel: Follow up with Hernando County website/DOH to address and fix the broken link to DOH Hernando's special needs sheltering information page. Promote individuals to pre-register.
Angie: Distribute outreach flyer for long-term recovery mental health support (provided by Tracy and revised by Angie) to DCMs and the group as an attachment. (see attached)
Angie: Promote NAMI's new men's group (Thursdays 7-8pm) to the group once details are finalized.
Wynter (Early Learning Coalition): Send flyer and information about the new trauma-informed parenting class (starting April) to Angie for distribution to the group. (see attached)
Angie: Share job description link for United Way Program Care Coordinator in the chat. www.UnitedWayHernando.org/Careers
Angie: Solicit and coordinate with potential breakfast sponsors for the 100th COAD in-person meeting in April.
All new/unlisted participants: Provide full name, organization, and email in the chat to be added to the COAD distribution list.

Summary

The meeting had 39 participants

Successes & SAVE THE DATE

Angie, the Executive Director of the United Way of Hernando County, welcomed attendees to the monthly COAD meeting, emphasizing its role in building partnerships and collaboration for disaster response. Angel highlighted the success of a recent referral for a chair to assist a hospital patient, attributing it to the seamless coordination among COAD members. Additionally, she announced the upcoming celebration of the 100th COAD meeting in April and provided an update on the VITA program, which has successfully scheduled over 1,700 appointments for free tax preparation services. The conversation ended with a request for updates from Erin Thomas on the Warming Center's impact and any current announcements from Emergency Management.

Warming Center Operations and Expo

The meeting focused on the recent operation of the Warming Center, which served 199 individuals over 16 nights between December and February. Angel and Erin presented statistics and discussed the transportation logistics, highlighting the success of bus routes from Walmart in Brooksville to the enrichment center. The group also reviewed plans for the upcoming Hernando Prepares Hurricane and Safety Expo, scheduled for April 26 at Hernando High School, and discussed the need for special volunteers to staff the Warming Center.

Volunteer Pre-Registration and Weather Briefing

Angie thanked Mike for his outreach efforts and encouraged others to pre-register as Disaster Relief Volunteer or CERT volunteers. She proposed establishing a Warming/Cooling Center Sub-Committee of the COAD, inviting interested participants to sign up. Erin provided a weather briefing, noting a freeze warning and red flag warning in effect, urging caution with wildfires and reminding everyone of the county-wide burn ban. She emphasized the importance of spreading the word about the fire danger without causing fires.

Emergency Preparedness and Recovery Updates

The meeting covered updates on several initiatives, including the upcoming expo, where new strategies will be implemented, and vendor information will be shared through COAD. Erin highlighted the importance of the Alert Hernando program for emergency notifications and encouraged participation. The Long-Term Recovery Group's next meeting was scheduled for Thursday, February 26th, and participants were reminded to visit the LTRG website for updates and to connect individuals in need with available services. DCMP Manager Diana from Endeavors expressed gratitude for the opportunity to collaborate and mentioned ongoing efforts to address unmet needs. The Department of Health emphasized the importance of pre-registering isolated, special needs, and elderly individuals for hurricane season and provided resources for further information.

Special Needs Registry Partnership Meeting

The meeting discussed the partnership between DOH and Emergency Management for special needs registry management and shelter operations. Erin emphasized that the lengthy intake form is necessary for proper emergency planning, and Angel Turner was identified as the Special Needs Coordinator. Angie noted that the DOH Hernando website's landing page for more information on Special Needs Sheltering was broken, and Erin committed to fixing it. The meeting also covered the 211 Hernando and 988 January call trend reports, highlighting key statistics FYTD (July-Jan) about caller demographics, needs, and resource referrals (reference back of Meeting agenda for outline). Participants were encouraged to keep their resource database information up-to-date and to use the United Way's 211 website for accurate resource information: www.UnitedWayHernando.org/211

Hurricane Relief and Homelessness Response

The team discussed the ongoing hurricane supply drive and the positive impact of toiletry prep bags provided to the unhoused population. They reviewed the recent county-wide point-in-time count, with TaVon sharing her first-year experience and the importance of providing physical assistance during the count. Angie mentioned the successful recruitment efforts for the Warming Center subcommittee and encouraged further participation. The team also discussed receiving figures from the point-in-time count, which are expected in about a month.

Hernando County Homeless Count Update

Roneige provided a detailed update on the recent point-in-time homeless count in Hernando County. The event involved 54 volunteers across 21 teams who covered 4 sites, distributing 250 bags of food and supplies to 157 people. Data collection methods included paper surveys, online forms, and a call-down from the local homeless management information system. The final count numbers are still pending review by Middle Florida Homeless Coalition and the school district, with results expected by the end of March.

Homeless Initiative Outreach Updates

The meeting discussed updates on the homeless initiative, including a successful outreach effort during extreme cold weather and plans for the next meeting in March at a new location. Ron provided details on the initiative's annual nature and emphasized the importance of advance planning. Will F.Nicholas from the Dawn Center shared updates on 10 available beds and the program's 8-week duration. Michael reported on NAMI outreach efforts to the unhoused population and ongoing work with the Red Cross for support group sites. Angie highlighted an enhanced partnership with the Hernando County library system for additional support group outreach and dementia care opportunities.

Program Updates and Training Initiatives

The meeting discussed updates on various programs and initiatives. Eric announced a change in the NAMI’s Men's Support Group schedule, moving it to every Thursday from 7 to 8 p.m. at NAMI. Wynter from the Early Learning Coalition shared information about a new trauma-informed parenting class starting in April, which Angie requested outreach materials for (attached). Eric mentioned that mental health first aid training was recently completed, and they could schedule another course if agencies are interested. The team also briefly touched on food distribution updates and emergency assistance needs.

Emergency Funding and Volunteer Updates

The meeting covered updates on emergency assistance funding, which is currently depleted, and upcoming opportunities with CDBG funds. Partners shared employment opportunities, including positions at United Way Hernando (Program Care Coordinator), Dawn Center (Shelter Advocates) and St. Vincent de Paul CARES (Case manager for Leesburg Office). The group discussed volunteerism, events and disaster relief training. Upcoming events were announced, including the 100th COAD meeting in April and the 11th annual Kickstart to Early Literacy Kickball Tournament on March 28th.