02 - About | Disaster Preparedness

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About Us

San Francisco Community Agencies Responding to Disaster (SF CARD) is a 501(c)3 organization. SF CARD connects nonprofit, faith-based, and private organizations with the network and knowledge they need to continue providing critical services after a disaster.

SF CARD helps organizations prepare for emergencies as small as a one-alarm fire and as large as a massive disaster wreaking havoc across the region. SF CARD’s function is threefold: Preparedness, Response, and Recovery.

To ensure that nonprofit and faith-based organizations serving the greater San Francisco Bay Area’s vulnerable populations are prepared for a disaster, to play a central role in coordinating these organizations in their disaster preparedness, response, and recovery efforts.

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Our
Story

The idea for SF CARD sprang from the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake. Local nonprofit and faith-based organizations’ immediate response and leadership in the recovery phase of the disaster made their importance evident to local response agencies.

In 1994, SF CARD formally began its coordination initiatives to support local agencies and the vulnerable populations they serve. For more than 25 years, SF CARD has been a leader in providing emergency management programs and services to the nonprofit sector and the faith-based community. In recent years, SF CARD has expanded its services beyond San Francisco to several Bay Area counties.

Today, SF CARD is one of the most respected and well-established intermediary agencies dedicated to organizational disaster resilience, and an essential link between those agencies and public sector first responders. The San Francisco Foundation hired SF CARD to provide technical assistance and training services to 45 agencies in five Bay Area counties: San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, and San Mateo.

SF CARD is also keeping an eye on the future. With climate change, for instance, communities need to be concerned about the impact of rising temperatures on vulnerable populations. The Walter and Elise Haas Fund has enlisted SF CARD over the years to help local congregations prepare heat wave response plans for their senior parishioners.

Our Staff

Brian E Whitlow
Executive Director

Brian Whitlow has had the privilege of serving as Executive Director at San Francisco Community Agencies Responding to Disaster (SF CARD) since 2013. Brian has worked as a disaster planner and trainer since 2006. In addition to his preparedness experience and expertise, Brian has responded to local and national disasters. The most notable disasters include Hurricane Gustav (2008), the San Bruno Pipeline Explosion (2010), Hurricane Sandy (2012), and Camp Fire (2018). In 2008, Brian received his MPA from the University of San Francisco and holds the following professional certifications: Leading, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) (from Northwestern University) Associate Cyber Resilience Professional (from DRI International) Associate Business Continuity Professional (from DRI International) Specifically, Brian holds expertise and knowledge in the following disaster areas: Active Shooter Personal Preparedness Training & Facilitation Disaster Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, & Recovery Community-Based Disaster Preparedness Organizational Disaster Preparedness, including Continuity of Operations, Emergency Response Planning, and Hazard and Risk Assessment. When not working, Brian likes to volunteer for various causes and organizations, including the American Red Cross, Northern California VOAD, and Earthquake Country Alliance (ECA), and currently volunteers with the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) at his kids’ school as the Disaster Preparedness Chair.

Amanda Preston
Program Manager

Amanda Preston joined San Francisco Community Agencies Responding to Disaster (SF CARD) in 2024 to lead the pilot of the STEP program, a youth-focused preparedness workshop serving the greater Bay Area. Since then, she has broadened her scope and managed programs aiming to increase outreach and awareness for Personal Preparedness and Community-Based and Organizational Disaster Preparedness. In 2016, Amanda earned her Master's Degree in Teaching (MAT) from the University of San Francisco, and holds the following professional certifications: Training & Facilitation Certificate (from ATD) Associate Business Continuity Professional (from DRI International) Amanda brings over a decade of experience in youth and community work in the public sector. She is passionate about empowering local communities to strengthen their approach to disaster preparedness and response. Her eclectic career reflects a deep commitment to empowering communities, building partnerships, facilitating meaningful dialogue and exercises, and developing creative systems to keep organizations focused on their impact during and after disaster.

Lars Eric Holm
Program Coordinator

Lars Eric Holm, also known as “The Disaster Nerd”, has been helping the community since 2008 learn how to “transform their everyday brilliance into disaster resilience”, by conducting trainings and workshops for numerous agencies, on a wide range of readiness topics, for many diverse communities, ranging from children to seniors, the visually impaired to deaf/hard-of-hearing, and developmentally disabled, low-income, and others in need. Trainings are always tailored to meet each audience’s specific needs. He is in-demand as a presenter at preparedness events, been a keynote speaker, facilitated workshops, and create preparedness curriculum. He co-developed and has co-taught the “Prepare U” training series annually since 2019, which focuses on creating connections and building bridges: connections between topics that are normally taught in isolation, and creating bridges between the community and government entities. Lars Eric is especially passionate about projects advocating welfare for children and youth, including safety and health; improving education, especially science and literacy; enhancing creativity, especially media and performing arts, and technology as an empowering tool.