Strengthening Food Access After “The Big One”: ENLA Tabletop Exercise

Why food access collapses after major quakes

Last week, the D’Andre D. Lampkin Foundation joined partners from Emergency Network Los Angeles (ENLA) for a hands-on Earthquake Preparedness Tabletop Exercise. Guided by Monika Stoeffl (California Resiliency Alliance) and Mark Benthien (Statewide California Earthquake Country Alliance), we worked through a realistic scenario centered on food access and insecurity in the days and weeks following a major earthquake.

The exercise helped us assess how an event of this scale could affect our employees, volunteers, and clients—and how disruptions to supply chains, damaged infrastructure, temporary business closures, and displacement can intensify existing socio-economic vulnerabilities. Most importantly, it allowed us to coordinate solutions now, before we’re responding to an active disaster.

As a proud member of ENLA—the Los Angeles County unit of National VOAD and the Southern California VOAD—we’re committed to collaborative, community-based preparedness that speeds equitable recovery. Thank you to our ENLA partners, Monika, and Mark for facilitating an invaluable session.

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