Our Vision
We envision communities equipped for disasters through robust recovery infrastructure, well-informed leadership, and empowered citizens working together to minimize the impact of disasters. By supporting relief efforts and promoting disaster preparedness education, we aim to ensure more efficient and equitable recovery efforts and to protect livelihoods for the future.
Our Team
Board of Directors
Austin Avallone
Project and Community Engagement Manager at Mayfield-Graves County Long Term Reovery Group
After serving in AmeriCorps, I was struck by how deeply a single act of service could ripple through a community. That experience sparked a conviction in me: to step in when people are facing their hardest moments and help them rebuild. When the opportunity arose to work with the Mayfield Graves County Long Term Recovery Group, I knew it was the next opportunity to serve. The mission of walking alongside survivors, coordinating resources, and turning chaos into a path forward aligned perfectly with both my skills and my passion. By streamlining systems and building strong partnerships, we’ve been able to increase efficiency and get more resources into more hands than ever before. What began as a call to simply help has grown into a mission to ensure every survivor has access to the tools, support, and hope they need to rebuild.
Karastin Hancock
"Merging my passion for community engagement and non-profit development with disaster relief efforts in Western Kentucky and Western Tennessee felt like a natural fit when our region was hit by two devastating tornadoes on the night of December 10, 2021. Over the past three years, I have worked with various non-profit and community-based organizations to assist with multiple natural disasters. Before these events that hit close to home, I was involved in disaster recovery efforts in El Reno and Norman, Oklahoma. While we can never prevent natural disasters, I believe we can work toward building resilient, prepared communities so that when disaster strikes, we rise together."
Executive Board Chair of the Mayfield Graves County Long Term Recovery Group, Community Engagement Specialist
DANELLE SLACK
Helping my community recover from the December 2021 tornado has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. In the face of unimaginable loss and devastation, I have witnessed the strength, resilience, and compassion of our neighbors come to life in ways that words can hardly capture. Each step of the recovery—whether helping a family move into a rebuilt home, connecting survivors with resources, or simply listening to their stories—has been a reminder that healing is not just about repairing buildings, but about restoring hope. It has been humbling and inspiring to stand alongside so many dedicated individuals and organizations, all working toward the shared goal of making our community whole again. The bonds we’ve built and the lives we’ve touched are proof that even in the darkest moments, light and love can prevail.
Vice President of Case Management at Mayfield-Graves County Long Term Reovery Group, Veteran
Advisors
Chris Dockins, Ph.D.
“I am driven by a deep commitment to sustaining philanthropic gestures and labors of love throughout the local nonprofit sector, empowering communities to flourish. Disaster threatens to erase years of hard work and investment in a matter of minutes. Without swift intervention, communities may face long term hardships for generations to come. Implementing the DARCI program into community led recovery preparedness increases efficient use of philanthropic donations when they are needed most and changes the trajectory of the future.”
Community Led Recovery Advocate, Community Foundation of West Kentucky, Adjunct Professor Murray State University’s Nonprofit Leadership Program
Our Story
In December 2021, a historic 165 mile-long EF-4 tornado impacted 12 western Kentucky counties, leaving behind $3.5 billion in damages and impacting the livelihood of over 14,000 citizens. To fulfill grant awards by the Center for Disaster Philanthropy and American Red Cross, the Community Foundation of West Kentucky oversaw the development of a regional nonprofit, the Disaster Readiness Center, and its activity to explore a solution that will empower local communities to identify impacted individuals, communicate needs, and attract resources; thus, increasing the efficiency of philanthropic donations while empowering local led recovery.
The project team worked alongside long term recovery groups across western Kentucky to capture lessons learned. It was found that a lack of understanding of long term recovery processes by citizens/local nonprofits and a lack of connection between local emergency management and local nonprofit sector contributes significantly to what is often referred to as “the second wave of disaster,” long term recovery.
The DRC project team developed a long term recovery awareness program called DARCI, short for Disaster Aware and Ready Communities. The program includes three perspectives, the Center (long term recovery group), the Partner (local and national disaster nonprofits), and the Citizen. To become a DARCI Community, the program requires local emergency management to support the establishment of a Center. The Center identifies local and national nonprofit Partners. Both work together to connect with Citizens. Each POV is designed to educate the participants according to their unique perspective and define roles to manage increased need and resources during long term recovery. When all three of these components are in place, the community will be better positioned to identify those impacted by a disaster, communicate needs, and attract resources.
In May 2024 an EF-3 tornado cut across counties previously impacted by the December 2021 tornado. It was not until 18 months after the December 2021 event that functioning long term recovery groups were able to communicate the overall needs of their people. In May 2024, with a pre-established long term recovery group (Center) directing local and national nonprofits (Partners) and with educated survivors (Citizens), the long term recovery group was able to clearly communicate the needs of their people to nonprofits by Day 5. The VOAD groups expressed their appreciation for the well organized efforts and communication from the long term recovery groups, shared the need within their networks, and brought in more help. The long term recovery groups successfully attracted available resources.
The Disaster Readiness Center operated under the umbrella of the Community Foundation of West Kentucky from October 2022 until launching as an independent nonprofit in November 2024.