West Virginia Update

Nearly 300 AmeriCorps members and Senior Corps volunteers have been responding to the West Virginia Floods since the onset of the disaster on June 22-23. 

110 AmeriCorps State members have been responding since the onset of the disaster. These members include:

• 35 AmeriCorps State members and five staff from High Rocks Youth Leadership and Energy Express and AmeriCorps on the Frontline are supporting cleanup efforts in Greenbrier County
• 11 AmeriCorps State members with LifeBridge are supporting cleanup efforts in Clay, Kanawha, and Monongalia counties.
• 31 AmeriCorps State members are collecting donated goods in Cabell and Wayne Counties.
• Volunteer West Virginia staff  and 15 volunteers are providing call center support out of the Commission’s office
• 6 AmeriCorps State members with Appalachian Forest Heritage Area and High Rocks members established and managing a Volunteer Reception Center (VRC) in Lewisburg
• 7 AmeriCorps members from Twin Branch conducted muck outs and debris removal.
• AmeriCorps on the Frontline members are coordinating back to school donations for impacted school children.
  

Additional Programs responding include:

• 15 AmeriCorps VISTA members with National Coal Heritage Highway Authority and Southern Appalachian Labor Schools are assisting in the establishment of emergency shelters, helping plan VRC setup in Nicholas County and assisting in the VOAD warehouse in Raleigh County (Beaver)
• AmeriCorps VISTA members are collecting donated goods at WVU Center for Service and Learning and setup of Volunteer Reception Centers.
• AmeriCorps VISTA members with Step by Step are establishing cooling stations in response to the additional severe heat conditions.
• VISTA serving with NASA in Fairmont, WV sorted clothes and loaded water, shovels, and food into a NASA truck for delivery to Rainelle, Lewisburg
• 91 FEMA Corps members from the Pacific Region deployed to serve as Disaster Survivor Assistance (DSA) teams, GIS teams and logistics.
• 18 AmeriCorps NCCC traditional members (two teams) from the Pacific Region will deploy on Tuesday June 28 with the American Red Cross to support sheltering, feeding, damage assessments, and donations.

Later this week AmeriCorps Disaster Response Teams from Washington Conservation Corps, St. Bernard Project, Hoopa TCCC and Conservation Legacy are deploying to West Virginia to provide leadership and additional support to affected areas.

Texas Update

Starting around May 26, communities in Texas endured another flooding event caused by days of heavy rainfall, specifically in the greater Houston area. Houston emergency responders conducted 531 water rescue. It was the first Level 1 emergency activation for Harris County since Hurricane Ike in 2008. The President declared a Major Disaster Declaration on June 11 for making federal aid available for 12 counties. This marks the sixth Federal Declaration Texas has received in just 12 months as well as the third month in a row of severe and destructive flooding.

Over 100 National Service Members respond to Texas Flooding:

AmeriCorps State members have been responding to the disaster. These members include

• 51 A-DRT members from Texas Conservation Corps, Southwest Conservtion Corps, and Hoopa Tribal Civilian Community Corps are mucking/gutting homes in Brazoria County.
• 11 AmeriCorps NCCC members deployed to Volunteer Houston to support VRC operations
• 1 AmeriCorps member with Ready Corps is supporting the VRC with Volunteer Houston
• 2 Volunteer Now Dallas AmeriCorps members are supporting a virtual call center in partnership with ITDRC and Crisis Clean Up

Other programs responding include:

• AmeriCorps Disaster Response Teams including Southwest Conservation Corps and TCCC Hoop will be on the ground before the end of the week to assist with Volunteer Reception Centers.
• 4 RSVP volunteers serving with Brazos Valley CERT provided assistance in the days following the flood at a shelter set up for area flood victims.  Two of those volunteers, plus one additional volunteer are currently involved in making damage assessment calls.
• 11 RSVP volunteers who serve with Langetree DUCK Farm and Eco Center have worked together with VISTA volunteers to visit with flood victims and identify needs.
• 15 RSVP volunteers serving with the Homeland Preparedness Project are assisting with various needs by staffing three area shelters for flood victims.
• 10 AmeriCorps NCCC members deployed with the American Red Cross to support damage assessments, bulk distribution, and feeding operations.
• 10 AmeriCorps NCCC members deployed with the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief to support mucking/gutting operations.

Month 2015

• West Virginia Update
• Texas Update
• AmeriCorps VISTA
• Message from the Senior Adivisor
• DSU Disaster Operations Updates
• Resources

AmeriCorps VISTA

AmeriCorps VISTA members serving with the NASA IV & V Facility in Fairmont, WV took time from the busy project schedule to provide support to communities in West Virginia hit hard by flooding.  Members Derrick and Michael, with their Site Supervisor Todd Ensign (NASA) helped to sort clothes and, with the help of their NASA truck, they were able to bring much needed supplies to the area.

These National Service members were able to see, firsthand, the devastation of the flooding.  Derrick and Michael said they were grateful to provide support to those who lost everything in the floods. 

Message from the Senior Adivisor

Over the last several days many of us, across the country, have been both heartbroken and deeply concerned about the devastation in West Virginia.

But West Virginia is resilient and communities across the U.S. are opening their hearts.  Many have given generously to support the ongoing efforts.  I would encourage anybody who wants to lend a hand to go to www.volunteerwv.org and wvvoad.communityos.org to learn more and find out how you can be helpful.

Above all, I am confident that West Virginia will recover and rebuild because of the strength and spirit of West Virginians. When hard times hit, we have to help each other and in West Virginia, this is clearly understood.

Click here to view the complete message from Kelly DeGraff, Senior Advisor for Disaster Services.

DSU Disaster Operations Updates

The Disaster Services Unit has launched a new page called, “Current Disaster Operations.”

This page will highlight deployments of National Service members from AmeriCorps and Senior Corps programs who are responding to disasters around the country.  Links to Disaster Briefs and up to date information on the disaster will posted here.

Let us know what information you would like to see posted on this page.

Resources

Disaster Distress Helpline

1-800-985-5990

The Disaster Distress Helpline provides 24/7, year-round crisis counseling and support. The Helpline is staffed by trained counselors from a network of crisis call centers located across the United States, all of whom provide:

• Crisis counseling for those who are in emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster
• Information on how to recognize distress and its effects on individuals and families
• Tips for healthy coping
• Disaster-specific resources and referral information.