Empowering communities to be prepared for natural disasters.
About DARCI
DARCI is a disaster awareness and preparedness program developed by the Disaster Readiness Center of West Kentucky in conjunction with Blue Sky Global. It is designed to empower communities and their citizens to be better connected and prepared for natural disasters. DARCI provides communities with critical disaster and recovery knowledge, skills, and tools needed to increase their ability to recover faster and with greater efficiency, thus lessening the disaster’s impact on its citizens and the community.
DARCI Certified CITIZEN
Becoming a DARCI Citizen is your first step to being disaster aware and ready! We know that disaster can strike when you least expect it. Becoming a DARCI Citizen means you will be armed with the critical information and tools you need to be disaster aware and prepared and thus, recover faster. DARCI offers education to help you be prepared along with a secure and confidential place to store personal identification documents that can be lost during a disaster. Having important documents like your ID, the title to your vehicles and the deed to your home safely stored online means you will be able to quickly access disaster recovery benefits. You can’t control whether you will face a disaster, but with DARCI you can be prepared and connected for whatever comes your way!
DARCI Certified PARTNER
Are you the leader of an organization in your community that may be called upon to assist survivors after a disaster? In addition to local emergency management teams and government officials, local non-profits and other community organizations often play a crucial role. When a disaster strikes, your organization needs to be able to connect with community members and other organizations quickly to be prepared to assist. Becoming a DARCI Partner gives your organization access to reliable demographic information, educational materials, and visibility of community resources. As a DARCI Partner, your organization will be prepared to meet the needs of your community faster and more efficiently.
DARCI Certified COMMITTEE
When disaster hits, a team of community members volunteer to help organize recovery efforts by creating a Long Term Recovery Group (LTRG). Forming these groups in the wake of a disaster can take weeks or even months. As a DARCI Committee, you will have access to disaster preparedness and recovery education, secure online storage for Emergency Management documents, and access to reliable demographic information while connected to partners and citizens. Having this critical infrastructure in place prior to a disaster will give your community an invaluable opportunity to enhance your community’s response and recovery. If you are interested in being a part of the team that will create your DARCI Committee, you’ll first need approval from local Emergency Management. Once you have that approval, you can sign-up here and begin to empower your community to be prepared and resilient in the face of disaster!
Be Connected. Be Prepared.
Be Connected. Be Prepared.
DARCI Benefits
Comprehensive Preparedness and Recovery: DARCI equips communities with the knowledge and tools they need to face disasters head-on. Through comprehensive education on disaster preparedness and recovery, local leaders, nonprofits, and citizens are empowered to act swiftly and effectively when disaster strikes. This proactive approach minimizes the chaos and confusion often associated with disaster response, ensuring a more organized and efficient recovery process.
Strengthening Local Leadership: The DARCI program fosters strong local leadership by providing targeted training and resources. By empowering local leaders with the skills and knowledge necessary to coordinate disaster recovery efforts, DARCI helps build a robust leadership framework that can guide the community through the recovery process. Strong leadership is essential for effective disaster management, and DARCI ensures that communities have the guidance they need.
Enhancing Collaboration: Disaster recovery is a collective effort. DARCI promotes collaboration among local nonprofits, government agencies, and community members, creating a network of support that can mobilize quickly in times of need. By encouraging these entities to work together, DARCI enhances the community’s capacity to respond to disasters, leveraging the strengths and resources of each organization to maximize impact.
Secure and Efficient Resource Management: DARCI provides tools for secure document storage and efficient data management. The program’s lockbox feature ensures that critical documents are safeguarded and easily accessible during recovery efforts. Additionally, DARCI’s integrated communication and data management systems streamline the distribution of resources, reducing delays and ensuring that assistance reaches those who need it most.
Long-Term Resilience: Sponsoring a community to implement DARCI is not just about immediate disaster response; it’s about building long-term resilience before an event occurs. By establishing strong recovery infrastructure and promoting continuous education and preparedness, DARCI helps communities become more resilient to future disasters. This long-term approach ensures that communities are better prepared to withstand and recover from whatever challenges they may face.
Proven Success: DARCI has already made a significant impact in communities where it has been implemented. The program’s success stories demonstrate its effectiveness in improving disaster preparedness and recovery outcomes. A long term recovery group's ability to understand and communicate the needs of their citizens after the December 2021 tornado was eighteen months compared to five days after the May 2024 tornado.
What People Are Saying
“This is a critical system that we didn’t even know we needed…”
Citizen without disaster experience
“Provides much more trustworthy information to guide decisions.”
Local Emergency Management Director
“DARCI empowers the whole local community.”
LTRG Chair
“DARCI is a confidence booster.”
Local government official who led community through recovery
“Game changer. Absolute game changer in the way communities recover from disaster. This is what is needed to bring people home faster.”
VOAD organization with over 25 years in the field
Meet Darci…
Our Trusted Friend
In the aftermath of the devastating EF-4 tornado that struck Mayfield, Kentucky in December 2021, a remarkable story of resilience and hope emerged. Amidst the rubble, a beautiful chocolate Labrador near labor miraculously survived the destruction. Just five days later, she gave birth to a litter of precious puppies, becoming a symbol of life and renewal rising from the chaos of disaster.
Two months later, while at the Mayfield Graves Animal Shelter, one of these pups found her forever home with Dylan, a member of the Disaster Readiness Center's project team. Inspired by the work of the DRC, Dylan and his wife named the pup, Darci. As the team developed a new program to help communities prepare for long term recovery, they were struck by the parallels between Darci's story and their mission.
Just as Darci provided comfort and companionship during the recovery process, the Disaster Readiness Center envisioned a program that would be a "trusted friend" to guide communities through the challenges of disaster. From this inspiration, DARCI - Disaster Aware and Ready Communities - was born.
Darci's spirit of resilience and hope continues to inspire us every day as we work towards building disaster-aware and ready communities. She reminds us that even in the face of overwhelming adversity, there is always the potential for new beginnings and growth.
