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Northern California Wildfires.
In response to the fifteen major wildfires that tore across California in 2017 and continue to devastate the area in 2018, AmeriCorps members with programs like California Conservation Corps are some of the first on the scene and work tirelessly to prevent the wildfires from spreading.
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Hurricane Maria.
Thanks to national service, seven teams were activated to support Hurricane Maria recovery operations in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This included four AmeriCorps Disaster Response Teams that set up volunteer and donations management operations.
AmeriCorps members serving with FEMA Corps also be assisted with logistics, supporting responders and providing survivor outreach and assistance — all in partnership with local AmeriCorps programs who offered services to citizens impacted by the storm.
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Hurricane Harvey.
In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, over 550 AmeriCorps members were deployed to Texas to help the community respond.
AmeriCorps members continued to be deployed regularly to Houston and the surrounding areas to support organizations on the ground and provide critical assistance to the victims of the devastating hurricane. Working with FEMA, the Texas Division of Emergency Management, and the American Red Cross, they mucked and gutted homes and coordinated the tens of thousands of volunteers to support shelters and manage donations.
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Hurricane Irma.
In response to Hurricane Irma, 23 AmeriCorps Disaster Response Teams — including FEMA Corps — were deployed to Florida, Georgia, and Puerto Rico to support recovery operations in areas affected by the hurricane.
These AmeriCorps members supported shelter operations and assisted the American Red Cross, Save the Children, and FEMA, among other organizations.
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Hawaii Volcanic Eruption.
Three teams of AmeriCorps members with FEMA Corps were deployed to Hawaii to join assistance efforts for survivors of the Kilauea volcanic eruption and earthquakes in Hilo, Hawaii.
The 20 young people conducted mobile needs-assessments with survivors, provided on-site registration for federal and local assistance, and conducted surveys to deliver regular information to FEMA to meet the community’s needs.
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Hurricane Katrina.
In the last 12 years after Hurricane Katrina, national service allowed 40,000 people to serve with programs like AmeriCorps in the Gulf Coast.
These AmeriCorps members have built or refurbished over 15,000 homes, mobilized over a half a million volunteers, and invested over 300 million dollars in Louisiana and Mississippi to support organizations and citizens of the Gulf Coast. Haley Barbour, the governor of Mississippi during Hurricane Katrina, recently stated, “AmeriCorps...played an outsized and critical role in the immediate- and long-term recovery from Katrina.”
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Joplin Tornado.
Just hours after the nation’s deadliest tornado hit Joplin, Missouri, the first team of AmeriCorps members arrived on the scene ready to support the community.
In the year that followed, more than 350 AmeriCorps members served in Joplin from all across the country. They removed debris, assisted homeowners with casework, ran donation warehouses, rebuilt and repaired homes, and — most of all — organized more than 75,000 volunteers.
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Hurricane Sandy.
Following Hurricane Sandy, more than 2,400 AmeriCorps members participated in disaster response in the six states impacted by the storm.
These AmeriCorps members — including the first class of AmeriCorps NCCC members serving with FEMA Corps — cleared out more than 2,000 homes in New York and New Jersey and organized tens of thousands of volunteers. Governor Chris Christie (R) of New Jersey said, “AmeriCorps [was] an enormous help during Hurricane Sandy…[they] lifted the spirits of the people of our state.”