Asset Mapping Exercise: Strengthening Communities in Disaster
Our Asset Mapping Exercise helps congregations identify community risks, uncover vulnerable populations, and recognize the resources they already have. Participants explore likely hazards—from tornadoes to floods—and consider how local geography and infrastructure affect response and recovery. They also map where the elderly, people with disabilities, underinsured households, and renters live, helping ensure no one is overlooked in a disaster.
A key goal of the exercise is to connect congregations with local Emergency Management agencies and Community Organizations Active in Disasters (COADs). By building these partnerships, congregations learn how to integrate into broader response efforts, coordinate resources, and strengthen community networks before disaster strikes.
The workshop also emphasizes information flow, adaptive problem-solving, and networked collaboration. Congregations leave with a better understanding of how to serve their community and partner effectively with local responders, organizations, and community partners, ensuring they are ready to act when disaster happens.
