Red-CrossThe statewide chapter of the American Red Cross is hosting its first Iowa Resiliency Summit today in Des Moines. The agency’s regional disaster officer, Dan Cataldi, says they’re gathering people from an array of sources, including state departments, universities, churches and more.

Cataldi says, “The goal is to give ideas and provide information so all of these organizations that work with people can do little things to help people become more resilient, which of course is critical in helping us recover from disaster as well as prepare for disasters.” Strengthening resilience will save lives, he says, plus, it’s cost effective.

Cataldi says, “Resiliency is really the ability to not only be prepared for disasters, so, having a plan, having a kit, those types of things, but it’s also the ability to bounce back from disaster.” The conference will feature a diverse group of participants from all corners of Iowa and speakers from various organizations and backgrounds.

“The goal is to show it’s not just those typical disaster response organizations, but really, the faith-based community, community organizations like Habitat For Humanity, as well as those that typically do disaster response, like the state fire marshal’s office and the Red Cross, can all come together and have a piece in building a resilient community.”

The summit runs from 8:30 to 4:30 at the Fred Maytag II Boy Scout Center in Des Moines.