Earlier this year, bundled up against the chilly January weather, a resident in Chadbourn, North Carolina, finally saw the walls go up on their new home, nearly six years after Hurricane Florence devastated the community. AmeriCorps NCCC Assistant Program Directors Jordan C. Plante and Stephanie Chan share the impact of national service in disaster recovery.
When Hurricane Florence made landfall on September 14, 2018, in North Carolina, it dropped 30 inches of rain and brought wind gusts over 100 mph. The state saw $16.7 billion in damages, flooding of more than 74,000 structures, and more than 5,000 people in need of rescue from floodwaters.
Immediately, AmeriCorps Disaster Services Unit coordinated with FEMA on a mission assignment that brought in nine AmeriCorps Disaster Response Teams from around the country to assist with response and support a variety of urgent tasks, including mucking and gutting homes to remove debris, emergency mold suppression of residences, conducting needs assessments, supporting call centers, and providing support to partner agencies.
After it was declared a federal disaster, AmeriCorps DSU provided technical assistance to connect AmeriCorps response support options through a FEMA mission assignment. Many of these teams arrived within 48 hours of the storm making landfall, providing much-needed support to communities across the state during the initial phase of disaster response.
One of the programs that responded to the storm was the Utah Conservation Corps. UCC led a group of other A-DRTs, including AmeriCorps NCCC, Conservation Corps Minnesota and Iowa, St. Bernard Project, Washington Conservation Corps, and Conservation Corps New Mexico. More than 138 AmeriCorps members from these programs served residents across the state.
After deployment, UCC Incident Commander Kayla Williams said, “I am proud of what we have accomplished here. These AmeriCorps members have been so dedicated to this work and these communities. It will be hard for everyone to leave this community because of what still needs to be accomplished here and how much we have connected to these towns, but we have left this area knowing that we put in our all.”
As Kayla noted, disaster recovery takes time, often far more than most are aware.
Six years after Hurricane Florence, the recovery from the disaster continues. Since 2018, more than 440 AmeriCorps members have served more than 90,000 hours on 42 unique long-term recovery projects across the state. The most recent one took place in Chadbourn, North Carolina, this past spring, and another is set to begin this fall, just before the sixth anniversary of the storm in September.
AmeriCorps NCCC understands that disaster recovery takes time, which is why the program model allows for continued community support long after the initial response. A recently signed memorandum of understanding between AmeriCorps NCCC Southern Region and the North Carolina Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service attests to this strong commitment to supporting local communities for the long haul. It prioritizes a community-led approach and streamlines the process of utilizing AmeriCorps NCCC as part of recovery and relief efforts in times of disaster.
In Times of Tragedy and Triumph, AmeriCorps Answers the Call to Service
For the past 30 years, AmeriCorps has been at the forefront of supporting disaster recovery efforts across the nation. Whether it’s Hurricane Florence, Hurricane Katrina, the Maui Wildfires, 9/11 Day attacks, or smaller local disasters such as the Rolling Fork-Silver City tornado in Mississippi, AmeriCorps members have always answered the call to service.
Learn more about AmeriCorps’ disaster recovery efforts and join the thousands like those serving with AmeriCorps NCCC.