FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb 02, 2018

Nearly 4,000 Senior Corps and AmeriCorps members have responded to 2017 disaster-related projects

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Continuing recovery efforts in areas impacted by 2017 disasters, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency for service and volunteering, began the New Year deploying more than 450 AmeriCorps members to areas impacted, including the U.S. Virgin Islands, Florida, and Puerto Rico. These members join the nearly 4,000 AmeriCorps and Senior Corps members who have responded to the California wildfires and Hurricane Harvey, Irma, and Maria.

These expertly trained crews have been integral to the creation of volunteer and donation management systems, muck and gut operations, blue-roof tarping, and debris clearing services. Their service has helped hundreds of thousands of Americans, distributed more than 280 tons of donations, and cleared more than 52,630 cubic yards of debris, which is more than more than 2,600 dump trucks worth.

Since last summer, AmeriCorps and Senior Corps disaster teams have been dispatched to Texas, Florida, Georgia, Puerto Rico, California, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The agency has also awarded more than $2.8 million in new, one-time, additional funding to Senior Corps and AmeriCorps organizations in impacted areas to support long-term recovery efforts.

AmeriCorps members deployed this year represent teams from Washington Conservation Corps, Arizona Conservation Corps, Utah Conservation Corps, AmeriCorps St. Louis, Texas Conservation Corps, Volunteer Iowa, and AmeriCorps NCCC. AmeriCorps members serving with FEMA Corps are providing assistance with logistics, support for responders, warehouse and facilities, and survivor outreach and assistance.

Following a disaster, national service acts as a force multiplier, providing key resources and significantly expanding the capacity of existing organizations on the ground. More than 40,000 AmeriCorps and Senior Corps members were deployed in response to Hurricane Katrina. In the decade since, AmeriCorps teams have provided critical support after countless disasters, including Hurricane Sandy; the 2013 floods in Colorado; and tornadoes in Joplin, Mo., Tuscaloosa, Ala., and Moore, Okla.

To learn more about the agency's work in response to Hurricane Harvey, Irma, and Maria, visit NationalService.gov/2017Disasters. 

AmeriCorps, a federal agency, brings people together to tackle the country's most pressing challenges through national service and volunteering. AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers serve with organizations dedicated to the improvement of communities. AmeriCorps helps make service to others a cornerstone of our national culture. Learn more at AmeriCorps.gov.