RESILIENT JERSEY CITY
A RESILIENT JERSEY CITY FOR THE FUTURE OF OUR COMMUNITY
Why does Jersey City need to be RESILIENT?
Although we have an amazing vibrant, increasingly prosperous, multi-cultural community, in recent years alone we have:
• Witnessed the attack of 9/11 in 2001, that brought Manhattan fleeing to our shores
• Experienced the great North-East Blackout of 2003
• Endured Superstorm Sandy in 2012
We see inexorably rising sea levels and increasing energy in the atmosphere and oceans that lead to stronger storms and more chaotic weather patterns. In this year alone we have seen what hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria have done to Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico.
Nobody would say that our turn will never come to face the ultimate trial. NOW is the time to get ‘ahead of the curve’, and make our Jersey City community as resilient as possible.
Our highly skilled full time Emergency Management, Emergency Response and Disaster Planning personnel are doing terrific work, but, as we have seen elsewhere in the USA, when there is an overwhelming natural or man-made disaster, it is still an immense challenge to the community.
What is Resilient JC and what are its aims?
Resilient JC is an approved 501(c)3 non-profit organization, registered in the State of New Jersey. Its aim is to support and augment disaster preparedness, response and relief and emergency response organizations and initiatives for Jersey City.
It seeks to provide quality resources for existing organizations, and introduce new initiatives that aid the strength of our community including conducting informational initiatives with the emergency planning and response community, community leaders in and out of government, the private sector and the public.
INITIATIVES & ACHIEVEMENTS
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Overview: Resilient JC was founded two short years ago to enhance disaster resilience and emergency response capability in Jersey City, and has been blessed with immense community support in that time.
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Since its founding in October 2017, at a launch attended by the Mayor of Jersey City, the President of the City Council, the Director of the Office of Emergency Management & Homeland Security and many key local politicians, first responders, business people and volunteers, Resilient JC has been extremely active and effective.
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Jersey City CERT: Supporting the Jersey City Community Emergency Response Team, which operates under the Jersey City Office of Emergency Management & Homeland Security
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Resilient JC has begun the purchase and supply of key equipment and clothing for Jersey City CERT volunteers to increase their safety and efficacy.
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Stop the Bleed: Working with the city’s Department of Health and Human Services, as part of its Healthier JC program, and with the Jersey City Medical Center, Resilient JC was instrumental in bringing free life saving Stop The Bleed training classes to all Jersey City residents.
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Working with the Jersey City Board of Education, Resilient JC has gained the formal public commitment of JCBOE to bring Stop The Bleed training to all 38 Jersey City public schools, training all school security guards, all school nurses, and as many academic and administrative staff as are interested in these life saving skills, and to place public access Stop The Bleed packs in all of Jersey City’s public schools. Resilient JC is currently actively working with the JCBOE to fund and implement this program.
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Resilient JC is currently actively working on other Stop The Bleed initiatives to enhance the skills and safety of Jersey City residents.
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The Big Read: Resilient JC worked with the Jersey City Art & Culture Department, the American Red Cross and the Jersey City Economic Development Corporation to bring a Preparedness and Survival For Small Business workshop to our community as part of the ‘Big Read’ series of events connected with the book ‘Station Eleven’.
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Public Safety Appreciation: At the initiative of Resilient JC, the City of Jersey City held its First Annual Public Safety Appreciation Day on June 22nd 2019.
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Communications: Meetings with Political Leadership – Resilient JC has met with every Jersey City city councilor for detailed briefings and discussions on disaster resilience and emergency response in Jersey City, on the threat matrix that faces Jersey City in the short and long term, and RJC activities and proposals for enhancing disaster resilience and emergency response capacity in the short and long term.
Presentations to Foreign Delegations and Major Corporations – Resilient JC has been honored to be invited to give presentations on the role of the public in disaster resilience to a range of audiences, from visiting delegations from Japan, from Trinidad and Tobago, and from Myanmar, to executives from Nomura Holdings and has met with executives from many local companies, including Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, the Exchange Place Alliance, and many others.
Membership of the Hudson County Chamber of Commerce – Resilient JC is an active non-profit member of the Hudson County Chamber of Commerce
WHO WE ARE
Our strength lies not only in the words we stand by, but most importantly in the actions of our initiatives. From the moment we started our work in 2000, we understood that by working together we could overcome our challenges much more efficiently, and that is why we ultimately decided to launch Resilient Jersey City. We strive to make a positive change in all of our pursuits.
