Hurricane Helene: The Young Adults Helping Communities Recover

Coming from Ohio to Tennessee and Florida, four AmeriCorps NCCCmembers are a few of the hundreds supporting disaster recovery after Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Arwood, Ernest, Caitlin, and Yana are serving with FEMA Corps, an innovative, team-based national service program that provides 18-to-26‐year‐olds the opportunity to gain experience and training in emergency response while supporting immediate needs after a disaster for survivors and their communities. AmeriCorps NCCC partnered with FEMA to create the program in 2012.

Arriving immediately in Florida after Hurricane Helene, the team of six members has been on the ground for the past two months, supporting the FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance cadre. The AmeriCorps NCCC team, known as Bayou 4, is helping survivors connect to the resources they need by tabling at sites, canvassing neighborhoods, and more. They were previously in Selma, Ala., inspecting travel trailers and mobile housing units for water damage, decay, and other issues, helping supplement housing in areas facing housing shortages due to disaster impacts.

The Leader

Arwood is the AmeriCorps NCCC Team Leader and joined FEMA Corps after graduating from American University in December 2023. Arwood was struggling to find a job that was both inspiring to work for and that he was qualified to hold when he found AmeriCorps.

"The opportunities of AmeriCorps NCCC FEMA Corps were incredibly enticing," said Arwood, from Tennessee. "I was very interested in the chance to serve my country in such a unique way while also gaining valuable practical experience in an industry so interesting and robust as emergency management. AmeriCorps has put me in an incredible position both socially and professionally. Bayou 4 is composed of incredibly capable and compassionate members whose dedication to service and kindness is as palpable as admirable."

Together with the team, Arwood is making a difference in affected communities. The most notable difference made by Bayou 4's service is in the speedy delivery of aid to survivors across Pinellas County, Fla. At the beginning of the deployment, the team spent most of the time registering survivors with FEMA's Individuals and Households Program. Since deployment, the team has transitioned to canvassing neighborhoods to ensure that everyone in the community who needs assistance is registered.

"The quick response by FEMA, and our team's efforts in supporting this response, led to many survivors being granted aid from FEMA early in the recovery process, allowing for the community to move towards recovery."

Passion Meets Opportunity

Ernest is a Floridian who is helping his home state recover from the disasters. Before AmeriCorps, Ernest worked in retail and is a student of Florida State College at Jacksonville. He chose to serve with FEMA Corps because emergency management was his passion. AmeriCorps service was an opportunity for Ernest to gain the experience needed to kickstart his career in emergency management.

For the past two months, Ernest and his team have been working alongside FEMA, assisting survivors. Ernest shares that his most memorable moment was when a small act of compassion gave survivors the hope they needed.

"When I first got deployed to help with Hurricane Helene, I was stationed at a registration intake center," said Ernest. "A local florist gave us flowers she needed to get rid of, so our team set them at each table. About halfway through the day, a woman started to break down. She told me that she was putting on the bravest face ever since the disasters to get herself through the day. But, when she came in to get help, she was stunned to see the flowers. She was unsure where to go for help, but when she walked in and saw the flowers, she felt a sense of comfort that we would help her."

Since deployment, Ernest has visited nearly 1,000 homes across communities and has helped more than 150 people register for disaster assistance.

Finding Careers

For members Caitlin and Yana, AmeriCorps was an opportunity to find and start new careers. Originally from Massillon, Ohio, Caitlin was an aquatics director before joining AmeriCorps. She chose to serve to challenge herself in a new environment and explore new career opportunities in emergency management with FEMA Corps.

Not only was Caitlin able to serve in Alabama, but she was also part of the team that was one of the first deployed to help Hurricane Helene's recovery. While at the multi-agency resource center, Bayou 4 worked alongside other federal and emergency management agencies. It was an experience to meet new people and learn from their career paths.

Yana is from Columbus, Ohio, and joined AmeriCorps NCCC after graduating from college. She decided to take a gap year before attending graduate school to help people in need and gain work experience. What she's learned is far more than experience.

"There was this one interaction where I was so thankful for being there to help this survivor," said Yana. "When he first came in, he was extremely worried that he wouldn't get any aid due to not having things or not being qualified. I registered him and explained a bit of the process as far as I knew, which helped. Having heard that the aid he would be given was a grant to do with it what he needed it for - that his spending of the money wasn't tracked or needed to be sure for what it was given out for - he teared up knowing he was receiving the help he desperately needed. That moment, I was just grateful to be there and help this community member be relieved and grateful for the aid."

Bayou 4's experience is one of many for AmeriCorps members. Through national service, Americans are provided the opportunity to explore careers beyond their work experience and education. Whether it's gaining skills in emergency management systems, using tools to repair roofs, or learning how to interact with people coping with unforeseen challenges, it's a chance to seek challenge and grow.

Learn more about the more than 750 AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteerswho have and continue to support disaster recovery after Hurricanes Helene and Milton.