Through AmeriCorps and Senior Corps, the Corporation for National and Community Service helps communities across the nation prepare, respond, and recover from natural and man-made disasters.

Our Disaster Services Unit has agency-wide responsibility for coordination of CNCS disaster services activities. The DSU provides expertise, ongoing support, and access to a network of dedicated volunteers. CNCS subscribes to the belief that all disasters are local. Our focus is on enhancing and adding value to what already exists in communities and infrastructure -- working in partnership with State Service Commissions, local government, nonprofits, and faith-based organizations.

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Disaster Services Start-up Guide for State Service Commissions, building upon a legacy of excellence in national service’s role in disaster, this guide is targeted to help State Service Commissions design new or build upon existing disaster service programs. Conduct a self-assessment on your Commission’s “Disaster IQ” and discover new pathways to enter this important field.

Right now, hundreds of AmeriCorps and Senior Corps members are committed to helping communities recover from one of the deadliest disaster seasons on record. And we’re helping even more communities brace for damage from tornadoes, floods, forest fires, and hurricanes.

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Read about the new FEMA and AmeriCorps NCCC partnership to strengthen disaster response and recovery.

Learn more about AmeriCorps Response to the Joplin Tornado.

The blizzard that whacked the Northeast last weekend paralyzed the hardest-hit areas, and created a gigantic task for workers mobilized to clear roads and restore electricity to areas that lost power. The storm is a reminder that this season can pack a punch, and we need to be prepared to handle winter’s wrath.

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The chance to get in on the ground floor and build something new attracted recent college grad Ben Barron to the FEMA Corps AmeriCorps NCCC unit. Last fall his class went to work with the Hurricane Sandy relief and recovery effort in New York, where he learned a lot about himself and the strength of the human spirit.

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We continue to track news coverage of the role national service participants have played in the Hurricane Sandy relief and recovery effort for the last few months. This week, our collection of stories includes one about two AmeriCorps members who spent their holiday away from home, helping people in New York and New Jersey recover from the storm.

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This week, nearly 100 AmeriCorps members boarded planes from Sacramento, CA, to New Jersey and New York where they will help residents affected by Hurricane Sandy rebuild homes, remove debris, and manage volunteers. Southwest Airlines’ decision to donate travel to these young leaders made this deployment possible.

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