Project Lead
Spring 2025
The American Red Cross partnered with SCAD to explore how Chatham County, Georgia could become more resilient to natural disasters. Over a 10-week period, my team and I researched, developed, and designed a network, plan, and branding for a community-centered emergency support program.
Our goal was bigger than just completing a project. It was an ongoing collaboration, a conversation with the community and the client, to find solutions that were empowering, connective, and resilient.
The Problem
Chatham County’s geography makes disaster response difficult. A single central hub can’t reach everyone efficiently, leaving vulnerable neighborhoods at risk. Communities need support that is local, accessible, and trusted.
The Insight
Resilient communities are built from the ground up. Neighbors supporting neighbors creates both trust and independence. Preparedness isn’t just about supplies, it’s about connection, education, and local leadership.
Decentralized Resilience
We developed a two-part solution. First, a decentralized system where the Red Cross partners directly with local communities to identify and meet specific needs, especially for at-risk populations. Each neighborhood becomes a hub of structure, knowledge, and resilience.
Second, we integrated an Emergency Support Program to bring targeted support to the most vulnerable areas. By combining local action with strategic external resources, every household gains confidence, trust, and clear guidance in times of crisis.
We broke Chatham County, Georgia into consolidated neighborhoods, mapping the exact type of support each area would require during a disaster.
From there we introduced Neighborhood Leads, trusted community members trained to provide household to household support. Each lead carries a Support Bag filled with critical resources so that during shelter in place or emergency events, households can function as resiliency hubs of their own.
The visual identity and messaging were designed to feel clear, trustworthy, and community centered. Materials were approachable and actionable, grounded in the language of neighbors helping neighbors rather than corporate emergency communication.
To bring the program to life, we presented the concept to leaders from the American Red Cross at both the local and national level through a staged hurricane simulation. The experience allowed them to move through the system in real time, demonstrating how The Emergency Support Program would activate during a crisis response.
I worked directly with the Red Cross to communicate strategy, updates, and insights, while supporting the team in research, planning, and execution. I helped guide the concept development, coordinated design and messaging, and ensured that our final solution was actionable, community-centered, and aligned with both client goals and the needs of Chatham County. Most importantly, I painted the team members nails for the final presentation.
