Issue link: https://blog.providence.org/i/1367431
34 Interviewees indicated benefits from collaboration such as increased effectiveness, being able to identify and resolve problems within the community, and the ability to fill gaps. How- ever, barriers such as capacity and competition were also identified. Planning & Prevention Local government leaders certainly have the desire and have made efforts to plan for next time. Many interviewees pointed to changes already made as a response to learnings from challenges in relief and recovery. For example, many tactical improvements have been made (i.e. related to evacuation routes, communication systems, information). Internal planning (COO) and training (disaster worker training) have been carried out in many agencies. Efforts to better reach Spanish speaking individuals in disaster response have been made, including document revision, addition of Spanish speaking staff, and in the case of the Department of Emergency Management, community engagement staff has been working to build and main- tain relationships with CBOs. Multiple county leaders indicated that resilience and preparedness are a new focus within the local government. Two county leaders pointed to the symbolic and tangible awareness-raising and preparatory value of the "Sonoma Ready Day" in September 2019. It was very well attended, with a diverse group of about 4,500 people. There are many examples that collaborative response strategies are coming into place and percolating, but not everyone knows who the leaders are, what their goals are, and how they aim to achieve them. Questions remain, such as: Who will be tasked with immediate relief and how? What about medium term recovery? And finally, how will agencies work together to rebuild community resilience? Full Circle: Did Philanthropic Response Help or Hinder? Private philanthropy had a substantial role in the success of certain projects, especially at a time when certain agencies saw their budgets constrained. Additionally, in the particular case of the ORR, the agency points to partnership and advice from the Sonoma Community Foun- dation to engage in community outreach and forums to establish strategies for resilience. At this time, after action, it appears that county entities are even more open to engaging with CBOs to provide them with useful community data and to provide individuals and communities with services. There might be particular opportunities for philanthropy to catalyze additional innovative public-nonprofit collaboration in future. BRIDGING TO THE FUTURE The aim of this report was to engage widely with cross sector leaders to assess the collective response to the 2017 wildfires in Napa and Sonoma two years into the recovery process, and to offer recommendations on how to bridge to the future. The findings herein aim to reflect the incredible relief, recovery, and resilience work done by each sector, as well as the challenges faced, and from the perspective of these learnings, to point toward potential next steps.