Enchanted Circle COAD

In response to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis effecting our small mountain community, local private sector and non-government agencies, businesses, non-profits, faith-based groups, and community leaders have come together to form the Enchanted Circle Community Organizations Active in Disaster (EC-COAD). Taos Ski Valley CEO, David Norden, has stepped up to represent the ski resort. The COAD’s goal is to foster effective preparedness, response, and recovery for the people of the Enchanted Circle, especially in times of disaster.

EC-COAD will focus on four main objectives:

Cooperation: creating a climate of cooperation at all levels and phases of disaster, including information sharing and leadership. Coordination: encouraging shared situational awareness, providing a liaison with town/county government officials, encouraging effective management and distribution of resources to address unmet needs of community members. Communications: publishing and disseminating evidence-based, verified information and a unified message both for the benefit of member organizations and the public. Collaboration: working together to achieve actionable goals and to undertake specific projects at disaster sites, align resources for philanthropic efforts, and form partnerships during the disaster response. “As the impact of COVID-19 mounts in our community, we saw an opportunity to work together to develop a singular, collaborative approach to assessing the needs of the Enchanted Circle,” said EC-COAD member David Elliot, Holy Cross Hospital. “Both the private and nonprofit sectors can move together quickly, and we will identify, categorize and organize community resources swiftly amidst this and future crises.”

The EC-COAD has been meeting several times a week since the state of emergency was declared in New Mexico on March 11. The meeting format has cultivated an environment of problem-solving that allows for quick response and coordination. To date, direct action steps have been: EC-COAD has contacted state leadership on high fuel prices in the region, strengthened a meal delivery system to vulnerable seniors in the community, and is in final steps of building out an interactive platform that will serve as one tool to match volunteers with needs in the community.

Moving forward, the EC-COAD is committed to expanding the partnership networks within the greater region. If you have an unmet need or you wish to help, please visit their website, email at info@taoscovid19mutualaidhub.com, or call 575-205-0045.