Helping Communities Recover - Emergency Response Work

When disaster strikes, communities often face overwhelming devastation, loss, and uncertainty. Events like hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and earthquakes not only devastate the environment but also disrupt the lives of countless individuals. The recovery process is often lengthy and challenging, but it also provides a unique opportunity for resilience, rebuilding, and transformation within the community.

The AmeriCorps Disaster Response Team (A-DRT) exemplifies this by bringing together AmeriCorps programs nationwide to provide critical relief and recovery services to communities that were affected.

Emergency response work is more than just clearing debris or providing immediate aid—it’s about helping individuals and families return to a sense of normalcy. Whether responding to hurricanes, wildfires, or floods, corpsmembers leverage their skills to assist in restoring homes, clearing hazardous debris, and ensuring essential resources reach those in need.

For many disaster survivors, the support of our corpsmembers makes all the difference.

"The more hands, the faster the work will be done...Just in this one day, they got a lot of things done...me by myself, it would've taken months," Matthew, a Typhoon Mawar survivor, explained as he thanked the corpsmembers who helped remove fallen trees that blocked access to his house after the Typhoon.

The types of work corpsmembers do on these mission assignments include:

• Damage Assessments – Visiting affected homes, documenting the extent of the destruction, and coordinating work orders to ensure assistance is prioritized.

• Mucking and Gutting – Removing debris, dirt, and damaged materials from homes, making them safe for rebuilding.

• Chainsaw Work & Debris Removal – Clearing trees that have fallen on homes, obstructed roads, or blocked access to essential services.

• Warehouse Operations – Sorting and distributing food, hygiene products, water, and medical supplies to those in need.

• Stormwater Management – Preventing hazardous materials from spreading into water sources and laying down protective barriers to mitigate further contamination.

San Jose Conservation Corps and Civicorps corpsmembers working together during a Muck and Gut project

One of the most inspiring aspects of emergency response efforts is the unity among the different corps. Many corpsmembers come from around the United States, yet we all share a common mission—to serve. The power of collaboration enables us to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time.

Emergency response work is ongoing, and the need for professionally trained crews will always exist. The ability to mobilize quickly and work efficiently in high-stress environments is crucial in providing timely and effective support.

HIRE OUR CREWS