Project Assistant- Disaster Response- Federal Program
DISASTER RESPONSE
Every year, disasters put millions of Americans in danger and costs billions of dollars in property damage. But every year, all year, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is on the job —as part of a team helping communities reduce risk, helping emergency officials prepare for all hazards, and helping people get back on their feet after their lives are disrupted by a disaster. FEMA is the federal coordinator for the operational and logistical disaster response needed to save and sustain lives, minimize suffering, and protect property in a timely and effective manner in communities that become overwhelmed by disasters. FEMA assists in community recovery through a number of channels, including obligating monetary aid for both individual assistance and public assistance. FEMA Corps is a partnership between FEMA and CNCS. FEMA Corps is a unique, team-based service program that gives 18‐24‐year‐old participants the opportunity to serve communities impacted by disaster while gaining professional development experience.
If you share this interest in supporting American communities devastated by natural disasters such as hurricane, tornado, flooding, blizzard, fire and other events, apply for this program.
Please visit our virtual info session for program information and application assistance:
Virtual Information Session (available 24/7)
PROGRAM BENEFITS
• Completed degree not required
• Gain experience while exploring career options
• Gain a competitive edge over other job applicants in private or government sectors
• Gain leadership and management experience
• Gain college credits for continuing education (earn 6-9 credit hours)
• Gain new contacts by networking with government and community agency directors
• Gain new skills in your career field and expand your capabilities
• Gain advantages for college, trade school or apprenticeships
• Team Leader option for those with advanced skills and education (11 months)
• Minimum of 10 month commitment- can be repeated
• Travel, lodging, healthcare provided plus childcare allowance if applicable
• Earn bi-weekly pay plus $6,095 to pay off educational debt or pay for future educational and job training expenses
Participants in this training program are supervised/evaluated by federal government personnel and federal program team leaders.
PROJECT EXAMPLES
Natural Disasters- manage volunteers; managing distribution centers and shelters; preparing and distributing meals; clearing debris; enrolling victims into emergency-assistance databases; mucking and gutting; surveying community assets; distributing educational materials and preparedness kits; implementing disaster-preparedness curricula; GIS mapping for improvements to community emergency response systems
Disaster Survivor Assistance- Work directly with Americans affected by disaster, manage documents, conduct surveys, or work at a recovery center. Register survivors for assistance in the field, utilize systems to map the areas you and your team will canvas, generate daily crew reports, and carry out status inquiries for survivors already registered.
Individual Assistance- Coordinate with nonprofits and government agencies to connect disaster survivors to services. Complete case reviews in Transitioning Sheltering Assistance, help with Direct Housing Missions, call applicants and inform them of the assistance appeal process, and assist in staffing Disaster Recovery Centers.
Logistics- Assist with distribution of supplies to disaster and recovery areas; inventory supplies and manage warehouse storage. Support IT wiring of FEMA facilities, or be there to open and close-out recovery offices.
Planning & GIS Systems- Plan during a disaster or research, write, and manage information for FEMA Regional Offices and Headquarters. Formulate Incident Action Plans and collect information for other products; work closely with planning teams to formulate Incident Maps and input data for map services and databases; assist while specialists produce incident specific geospatial products.
Public Assistance- Be there after disaster strikes to conduct damage assessments and input data for official reports. Participate in kickoff meetings and site visits, compile data for project worksheets, and support public assistance closeout for disasters.