LTADD Board partners with DARCI to boost disaster readiness across region

The Lincoln Trail Area Development District (LTADD) is proud to announce a significant new investment in regional safety and resilience. LTADD has partnered with DARCI (Disaster Awareness and Ready Communities) to bring its innovative disaster preparedness and recovery program across seven of the district’s eight member counties.

The expansion follows the successful implementation of the program in Breckinridge County, which is already a certified DARCI community. With this new funding, Grayson, Hardin, LaRue, Marion, Meade, Nelson and Washington counties now will join the DARCI network, creating a unified, disaster-ready corridor in Central Kentucky.

“Our goal at LTADD is to provide our local governments with the best possible tools to serve their citizens,” said Daniel London, LTADD executive director. “By partnering with DARCI, we are ensuring that our region isn’t just reacting to disasters, but is actively prepared to lead its own recovery.”

The investment from DARCI will fund the deployment of specialized technology and training designed to empower local leaders, nonprofits and residents. According to the United States Chamber of Commerce, for every dollar invested in disaster preparedness, $13 is saved in future recovery costs and economic loss.

“We’re excited to bring DARCI to the Lincoln Trail area, empowering local residents with real-time disaster preparedness and recovery tools,” said Ryan Drane, president Blue Sky Global Public Benefit Corp. “Our mission is to help emergency management directors, service providers and residents work together to prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters more effectively creating a safer, more resilient future for the entire region.”

The DARCI program shifts the power back to the community, ensuring that recovery is “survivor-led, not system-led.” Key benefits include:

• Digital Lockbox: Residents can securely store critical documents—like home deeds, vehicle titles, and IDs—online, ensuring they are accessible even if physical copies are lost in a disaster.
• Real-Time Coordination: Local governments will have access to live dashboards to track citizen needs, resource requests, and shelter availability in an instant.
• Proven Speed: In previous implementations, DARCI reduced the time needed to communicate community needs from 18 months down to just five days.
• Regional Collaboration: The program facilitates seamless cooperation between churches, local government agencies, and nonprofits, reducing duplication of efforts and delays in aid.

In the Lincoln Trail region when disaster strikes, the first and most important responders are the people right next door. DARCI is the first-of-its-kind platform designed to turn that local spirit into a coordinated, data-driven powerhouse.

While existing systems handle the “top-down” logistics, DARCI masters the ground-up reality. It bridges the gap between official emergency management and the actual needs of residents and local nonprofits.

As part of the rollout, Amy Chicoine, director of disaster networking and community engagement with the Disaster Readiness Center, explained how the center provides support for community preparedness to help leaders establish long-term recovery frameworks and the boots-on-the-ground expertise to complement DARCI.

The regional launch of the program officially begins following a high-level coordination meeting held Feb. 26. During this meeting, LTADD and DARCI representatives will outline the implementation timeline for the new member counties and begin training for local emergency management personnel.

Residents of the Lincoln Trail region are encouraged to learn more about becoming a DARCI Certified Citizen at darciready.com.