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In response to the severe storms that have impacted the Central U.S. this week, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) has been working closely with federal, state, and local officials. CNCS began deploying dozens of AmeriCorps members to Oklahoma early Tuesday morning. Coordinating with the Federal Management Agency (FEMA), National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, the American Red Cross, and state and local authorities, the agency is working with state field offices to coordinate additional AmeriCorps members and Senior Corps volunteer activities on the ground.
MOORE, OKLAHOMA TORNADO -- May 20, 2013
On May 20, 2013, a tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma (pop 56,315). Initial analysis indicates at least EF-5 tornado damage; caused by winds of up to 200 mph. News media reports indicate significant, widespread damage.
As of May 28th, we anticipate a minimum of 100 national service
members serving in Oklahoma:
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9 AmeriCorps St. Louis members and 10 Texas Conservation Corps are currently on the ground supporting Volunteer and Donations Management in coordination with the State Emergency Management, Oklahoma VOAD and FEMA. Members will support four Multi-Agency Resource Centers, one in each declared county. They are assisting with establishing the sites, managing donations, and coordinating volunteers.
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4 FEMA Corps Teams (36 members) are currently working alongside FEMA staff providing disaster survivor assistance and supporting logistics.
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3 additional FEMA Corps Teams (25 members) will be deployed next week to enhance disaster survivor assistance
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2 AmeriCorps Equal Justice Works Legal Aids are assisting survivors with legal issues related to the tornadoes.
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9 AmeriCorps NCCC members will be deployed next week to assist in recovery efforts.
- Over 12 AmeriCorps grantee programs and 4 NCCC teams remain on standby, ready to deploy as requested.
CNCS National Level Coordination
- CNCS Senior Advisor for Disaster Services, Kelly DeGraff, will
be arriving on the ground Monday to provide support to AmeriCorps and
interagency resources deployed.
- The CNCS Disaster Services Unit (DSU) is coordinating directly with FEMA, American Red Cross, Salvation Army, Points of Light, and all of our National VOAD Partners in addition to OK State VOAD and local officials.
 AmeriCorps
St. Louis workers arrive in Moore, Okla. to help with tornado relief
“Joplin looks amazing right now,” he said. “Everything’s green. They've got trees. There’s just new homes everywhere. There’s businesses up all over the place.” Burks, 28, a field operations chief with AmeriCorps St. Louis, is leading a group of eight others to help the town of Moore pick up the pieces after a tornado cut a 17-mile path of destruction on Monday. Today marks
exactly two years since a tornado cut a similar path through the town of
Joplin. Burks also helped there during the immediate aftermath. Two of his crew
members in Moore also helped with relief efforts in Joplin. “From what I
remember, there wasn’t even grass anymore,” he said of Joplin. “Everything
leveled, everything flat.”
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
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Equal Justice Works Responds to Disaster in Oklahoma
Two AmeriCorps Members with Equal Justice Works are deploying for up to 14 days to Oklahoma City/Moore, OK to assist with legal issues related to the recent tornadoes. The devastation in Oklahoma is enormous and attorneys at Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma are in need of help.
The two AmeriCorps members from Joplin, MO are experienced in disaster legal services. They will conduct educational presentations about laws and regulations, interview individual clients about their situation, make phone calls, and write letters. The members will review written materials such as fact sheets, manuals, and “how to” packets, for accuracy and clarity.
The members’ current host site, Legal Aid of Western Missouri, is willing to let them temporarily redeploy. Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma is ready to host them immediately and they are ready to go.
MIDWEST TORNADOES -- May 19, 2013
Several tornadoes struck parts of
the nation's midsection Sunday, concentrating damage in central Oklahoma,
Wichita, Kansas and Iowa.
Senior Corps volunteers are responding in Shawnee, Oklahoma:
- Senior Corps RSVP volunteers with the Central Oklahoma Community Action Agency RSVP Pottawatomie County are helping man the Expo Center, the central donation location. United Way is organizing this response using “Charity Tracker” software.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Volunteer
- Volunteers will be needed most in the recovery phase, and those interested should contact the United Way of Central Oklahoma www.volunteercenteroklahoma.org.
- Contact and affiliate with existing non-profit organizations before coming to the disaster area. Immediately following a disaster, a community can become easily overwhelmed by the amount of generous people who want to help. Contacting and affiliating with an established organization will help to ensure that you are appropriately trained to respond in the most effective way.
- Be safe: Do not self-deploy until a need has been identified and the local community impacted has requested support. Wait until it is safe to travel to volunteer sites and opportunities have been identified. Once assigned a position, make sure you have been given a specific assignment and are wearing proper safety gear for the task.
- Be patient: Recovery lasts a lot longer than the media attention. There will be volunteer needs for many months, often years, after the disaster - especially when the community enters the long-term recovery period.
Give Blood
The need for blood rises during disasters of this scale, and this problem is exacerbated in affected areas where blood drives may have been cancelled. You can locate information about donating through the American Red Cross or by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS.
Cash Contributions
Cash donations are very useful in situations where supplies must be acquired quickly. This is the most efficient way to make an impact with your donations. If you need help in determining who to give to, the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster website has a list of major nonprofits that are active in disaster work.
Don't Send Unsolicited Donations
One of the biggest issues around disasters is the amount of unsolicited item donations that start to come in immediately. It's better to wait until communities assess and confirm their needs before you start to send things in. At that time, you can make your donations through non-profits in the National Donations Management Network.
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.
Resources
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If you would like to learn more about how you can assist communities affected by disaster, visit Serve.gov; and to find out about how to prepare your family and community, visit Ready.gov.
- The Disaster Services Knowledge Network. This online network provides a place to share what works at the intersection of disaster services and national service.
The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) Disaster Services Unit (DSU) 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.
The Disaster Services Unit can be reached at DSU@cns.gov and is staffed by:
Kelly DeGraff, Senior Advisor for Disaster Services
Katrina French, Disaster Services Program Officer
Jen Prall, Disaster Services Program Officer
Jason Scott, Disaster Services Program Officer
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