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June 1, 2026Editor’s note: The following was written by the Community Resource Coordinator
at Catholic Charities North Dakota. She offers insight into her recent disaster training seminar and how the information prepares Catholic Charities to assist North Dakotans in the future.
On March 16–20, I attended AIDE for Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA). AIDE (Applied Institute for Disaster Excellence) is CCUSA’s annual training event that equips Catholic Charities staff, diocesan leaders and partner organizations with the knowledge and skills needed to prepare for, respond to, recover from and mitigate disasters. This year, the conference was held in Orlando, and this was my first time attending.
The week included special guest speakers and a variety of training sessions. I participated in disaster case management training with the goal of expanding CCND’s disaster response capabilities in the future, and I also joined CCUSA’s disaster cadre network. The cadre functions as a pool of subject matter experts and trained CCUSA‑certified disaster case managers who can be called upon to assist disaster‑affected agencies, either on the ground or virtually, during disaster events.
AIDE also provided excellent opportunities for networking with other Catholic Charities agencies and partner networks. I made valuable connections with Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis and Catholic Social Services of Rapid City, which may support future collaboration and mutual aid efforts.
In addition, I attended trainings on rural disaster response and navigating insurance before and after disasters. The week concluded with site visits, including a behind‑the‑scenes tour of SeaWorld Orlando, where we learned how the organization prepares for disasters and activates its emergency protocols.
The final guest speaker on Friday was Jim Cantore, meteorologist from The Weather Channel. He shared that North Dakota is the only state where he has not yet been “deployed” to report on a weather event. Given the saying that Jim Cantore’s presence is often a bad omen, I joked that he should stay away—North Dakota is fine without him!
The guest speakers provided valuable insights and diverse perspectives on planning for, activating during and recovering from disasters. Using the information gained at the conference, along with lessons learned from the June 2025 tornado event, I am making plans to strengthen CCND’s ability to respond to future disasters in North Dakota with support from CCUSA.
Catholic Charities North Dakota, in partnership with Catholic Charities USA, provides financial assistance and disaster case management for recovery after times of disaster. Catholic Charities North Dakota is also a member of the ND VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) and the State of North Dakota’s Disaster Response and Recovery Partners. These memberships ensure we are informed of local, state and federal response capabilities so we can provide the most accurate case management services in times of recovery.