Local AmeriCorps NCCC Members Aid in Hurricane Sandy Response

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Seventy Members of the Sacramento-based AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) will leave this week for the East Coast as part of the nationwide national service response to Hurricane Sandy. 

Currently, nearly 1,000 members of AmeriCorps NCCC and other service programs administered by the Corporation for National and Community (CNCS) are on the ground as part of a coordinated multi-level response in New York, New Jersey, and other affected states. The members are helping run donation-management centers, operate shelters, remove debris, and connect citizens to available resources.
 
The Sacramento teams are deploying to help the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) with shelter operations in New York, although their mission assignment could vary depending on the need upon arrival. 

Andrew Jacobs, an AmeriCorps NCCC staff member who will be part of the deployment said, “All seven of the teams deploying to the East Coast are trained and ready to serve those in need, with the anxious reality of the situation that the survivors of the devastating storm have lived through.”

Kate Raftery, the AmeriCorps NCCC National Director, just returned from a two-day tour of sites in New York.

“Without a doubt, the residents of New York are benefiting from the energy and innovativeness of these young leaders,” Raftery said. “They are taking care of displaced senior citizens, helping out people with special needs, and assisting children and families that cannot return to their homes.”

The Hurricane Sandy assignment will be the first for teams Gold 1, Gold 6, Gold 7, Silver 2, Blue 1, Blue 3, and Green 2. 

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