CARRT FAQS

CARRT—or the Community Advancing Resilience and Readiness Together—is an agile County-appointed committee focused on building resilience and emergency preparedness in Arlington founded in late 2022. CARRT consists of diverse community stakeholders across all sectors and is modeled after previous successful community efforts such as the Complete Count Committee (CCC) and the Complete Vaccination Committee (CVC).

CARRT’s purpose is to help the community be more prepared for a disaster or emergency and to increase the community’s resilience, or ability to bounce back after an emergency. Using a Whole Community approach with an equity lens, CARRT will use data, lived experiences, and community knowledge to identify barriers to, and solutions for, enhancing community resilience and preparedness in Arlington.

Community partnerships in neighborhoods that data and community feedback highlight as being more vulnerable to negative impacts from disasters and emergencies help the County build trust, amplify resident voices, and provide a shared understanding of community needs and capabilities. CARRT builds on existing community partnerships as well as FEMA’s Whole Community Approach by engaging the full capacity of the private and nonprofit sectors, including businesses, faith-based and disability organizations, and much more! 

The nature of emergencies is changing and so is the way we respond to them, moving towards a proactive, risk management approach. A risk management approach looks to reduce a community’s vulnerability as well as increase their resilience or ability to survive and bounce back after a disaster. Strengthening community resilience increases preparedness and capacity, enhances the overall well-being of the community, and reduces the negative impact of disasters. Many emergency management organizations across the country, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), are prioritizing resilience work as an essential part of their mission. Learn more about resiliency-driven approaches to emergency management. 

CARRT is supported by Department of Public Safety Communications and Emergency Management (DSPCEM) staff.

CARRT launched in fall of 2022.

The community is invited and encouraged to actively participate in CARRT efforts. Find info on current and previous CARRT volunteer opportunities.

Additionally, community members are encouraged to sign up for the latest CARRT updates:

Let us know how we can improve CARRT events & emergency preparedness efforts.

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