 The AmeriCorps NCCC Southern Region’s
River Disaster composite team has been working hard responding to wide-spread
tornado damage in and around Tupelo, MS.
Press release: AmeriCorps and Senior Corps Respond to Severe Storms in Central and Southern U.S.
National Service in Action
In response to severe weather, tornadoes and flooding across the central U.S. and the Mississippi Valley last week, 230 national service
members deployed to Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kansas,
and Mississippi.
Alabama – 71
-
2 Senior Corps RSVP volunteers. The Calhoun County RSVP project of Jacksonville, AL has opened a Volunteer Reception Center in Sardis City, AL with the support of two RSVP participants and 300 community volunteers. Volunteers are delivering food to families, disaster workers and responders, coordinating volunteer and donation management, and helping with debris removal.
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25 Senior Corps RSVP volunteers. Due to the recent tornadoes, the Tuscaloosa County VOAD has activated and the RSVP sponsor, FOCUS On Senior Citizens serves as the site of the Volunteer Reception Center where they are managing affiliated and unaffiliated volunteers.
- In Athens, AL, Senior Corps RSVP volunteers are working with the United Way and the VRC, cutting trees and assisting with debris removal. RSVP volunteers and staff are also conducting tele-checks with seniors to identify needs in the aftermath of the storms.
-
44 FEMA Corps members (5 teams) deployed to AL (Southern, Atlantic, and Pacific campuses) supporting DSA and logistics.
Arkansas – 31
-
3 AmeriCorps members with the Seattle Red Cross deployed to Little Rock, AR to assist with client casework.
-
2 AmeriCorps members with the Red Cross in Columbus, OH deployed to Little Rock, AR assisting with client casework.
-
26 FEMA Corps members (three teams) supporting FEMA operations in Arkansas. Teams from SW, Southern and Pacific campuses. (Seven members demobilized that were supporting FEMA GIS from Philadelphia.)
Florida – 33
-
24 FEMA Corps members (3 teams) supporting FEMA DSA and IMAT operations in Pensacola, FL.
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3 AmeriCorps members with AmeriCorps Financial Empowerment Services assisting Pensacola, FL with assessments in neighborhoods that have not
been reached after the flooding.
-
6 Florida AmeriCorps VISTA and AmeriCorps project staff stationed at Escambia County EOC.
Kansas – 40
-
2 AmeriCorps members with the Red Cross NPRC deployed to Baxter Springs, KS.
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2 AmeriCorps members with Michigan Red Cross deployed to Baxter Springs, KS to assist with client casework.
-
4 AmeriCorps St. Louis members deployed to Kansas to assist VOADs with operating multi-agency resource center and volunteer reception centers.
-
2 St. Bernard Project Rebuilding Joplin AmeriCorps members supporting VRC operations in Baxter Springs Kansas.
- Up to 30 members from Kansas Outdoor AmeriCorps Action Team deploying weekends to assist with debris removal.
Mississippi – 55
-
13 AmeriCorps NCCC members deployed to Tupelo, MS supporting
NECHAMA in clean-up efforts and debris removal.
-
13 Southern Region AmeriCorps NCCC deployed to Mantachie, MS. The team is assisting the Mississippi Commission and the County OEM in operating a volunteer reception center.
-
16 (2 teams) FEMA Corps members supporting FEMA DSA in Louisville, MS
-
1
AmeriCorps member with Michigan Red Cross deployed to Mississippi to
assist in relief efforts.
-
7 AmeriCorps members with Red Cross NPRC deployed to Mississippi.
-
3 AmeriCorps
members with the Seattle Red Cross deployed to Tupelo, MS to assist with
client casework.
-
1 AmeriCorps member with the Red Cross in Columbus, OH deployed to Tupelo, MS providing assessment and casework.
-
1 AmeriCorps State member
(FoodCorps) displaced from regular service has been redirected to serve VRC
operations in Louisville, MS
350 total national service members are on stand-by, ready to deploy with 24-48 hours.
RESOURCES
New
Disaster Events
For
information on new disaster events, please visit FEMA’s daily situation report.
CNCS
Disaster Services Knowledge Network
This online network provides a place to share what
works at the intersection of disaster services and national service.
Disaster
Preparedness
To learn more about how to prepare your family and community, please visit Ready.gov.
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.
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