East Cooper Community Outreach (ECCO) has been an active and motivating force in East Cooper Community disaster preparedness and planning since 1989 at its origin following Hurricane Hugo. ECCO hosts community-wide hurricane informational meetings, workshops and Hurricane Awareness seminars throughout the year. ECCO, in partnership with the Town of Mt. Pleasant Police and Fire Departments, makes individual Disaster Awareness and Preparedness presentations to churches, businesses and organizations.
ECCO also partners with the American Red Cross, Trident United Way, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SC DHEC), Charleston Baptist Association and Seacoast Church annually to present a Hurricane Preparedness and Awareness Day at the onset of each year's hurricane season which begins on June 1st.
ECCO is an active participant in the Community & Regional Resilience Initiative (CARRI), a program that helps communities and regions achieve their highest measurable levels of resilience toward natural or man-made disasters.
ECCO maintains a year round liaison with the above organizations, participating in joint planning sessions and training programs to remain current in emergency response and recovery techniques and actions.
ECCO believes that it is necessary for the general populace to be informed of the crucial importance of having an individual "Family Disaster Plan" and a "Family Disaster Kit" to better protect themselves and their loved ones in any type of disaster situation. Additionally, it is imperative for the citizenry to be aware of the "Alert Charleston County" telephone emergency notification program, local emergency transportation resources, authorized shelters (including "Special Needs" and "Pet" shelters), community recovery plans and emergency communications networks when normal communications systems are disrupted.
ECCO's primary goal is to make the entire East Cooper Community better prepared to face emergency situations. Appropriate individual and community preparation efforts will mitigate potential loss and damage, both human and property, resulting in more effective and earlier recovery from any disaster situation.
For more information on "Disaster Preparedness Planning" contact:
Ivan Lund
Disaster Preparedness Coordinator
East Cooper Community Outreach (ECCO)
(843) 416-7128.
ilund@eccocharleston.org
