HONOLULU, Hawai‘i – State Senator Donovan M. Dela Cruz joined the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund, the nation’s preeminent Latino leadership organization, and more than 50 other policymakers from across the country for a two-day institute in Boston, Massachusetts. The event provided local and state officials with professional development on how to proactively prepare their communities to confront and recover from natural or man-made emergencies during a time of increasing global and domestic threats.

During the NALEO Educational Fund’s National Policy Institute on Emergency Planning and Preparedness that took place from August 19-20, 2016, Dela Cruz had the opportunity to enhance their knowledge and understanding of the different levels of planning and preparedness needed to help their communities prepare for, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from various types of disasters and emergencies.

“Management plans for donations and volunteers are critical in any disaster,” stated Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz, (Dist. 22 – Whitmore Village, Wahiawa, Launani Valley, Waipio Acres, and Mililani Mauka). “We need to look at partnering with nonprofits, at the statewide level and at the community level, to assist developing and managing these plans.”

In addition to strengthening their governance skills and receiving timely information on emergency planning and preparedness, Dela Cruz also had the opportunity to network with colleagues and leading experts from throughout the country.

Dela Cruz and the cohort of policymakers that participated in this convening will be invited to participate in a second Policy Institute in 2017 that will focus on emergency management and response.

This event was made possible through the generous support of Title Sponsor, State Farm®. A full schedule and list of speakers is available on the NALEO Educational Fund website at http://www.naleo.org/2016_emergency.