Using the Tribal Civilian Community Corps to assist in disaster response

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Abstract

In June 2001, Houston, Texas experienced severe flooding as a result of Tropical Storm Allison. To aid in cleanup projects there, The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) offered emergency assistance to those in need with help from the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC), and the Tribal Civilian Community Corps (TCCC). Through this collaboration, disaster victims were able to receive aid and program participants were able to enhance life and leadership skills. This was the first time that AmeriCorps sent its Tribal Civilian Community Corps to assist in disaster response. This effective practice was based in part on materials provided by American Indian Professional Services (ACKCO, Inc.) at the Training and Technical Assistance National Provider Meeting in Arlington, Virginia, February 2002.

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Issue

Cleaning up in the aftermath of a flood or other natural disaster can be overwhelming, if not impossible, for the elderly and disabled members of the community.

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Action

Steps taken to implement clean-up response included: 

  • The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) called in AmeriCorps volunteers from Denver, Colorado, the Navajo Nation (Arizona), and Mille Lacs Band (Minnesota) to help with clean-up in the aftermath of flooding caused by Tropical Storm Allison.

  • Fifty members of Denver's National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) and 22 members of the Tribal Civilian Community Corps (TCCC) — 11 from the Navajo Nation in Arizona and 11 from Mille Lacs Band in Minnesota — went to Houston, Texas, to help with clean-up efforts there.

  • NCCC and TCCC members stayed in Houston for three weeks, aiding the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) with clean up of flood-damaged homes.

  • The United Methodist Committee on Relief identified those most in need — the elderly, the disabled, and others who had little or no assistance.

  • AmeriCorps members helped remove damaged goods, mud, cabinets and Sheetrock, and helped people prepare their homes for the task of rebuilding.

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Context

The Tribal Civilian Community Corps (TCCC) began in February 2001. The program is modeled on the AmeriCorps National Civilian Conservation Corps (NCCC), and the residential projects are based at four reservations in Alaska, Arizona, California, and Minnesota.

The Tribal Civilian Community Corps (TCCC) accepts people between the ages of 18 and 24 to work in teams on community and service projects. TCCC members are trained in first aid and CPR, carpentry, environmental stewardship, and other skills. They also receive diversity and cultural training, and learn about teamwork and the role of Indian values in serving communities. Members receive help (in the form of educational stipends) in attending college.

TCCC participants in Minnesota have worked on projects including sandbagging in Granite Falls, cutting and staining benches for a Mille Lacs Band ceremonial building, remodeling the Band's Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Building, planting thousands of seedlings for the DNR, and cleaning Elder's yards, the Band's Elder Center, and language and cultural immersion grounds.

This was the first time that AmeriCorps sent its Tribal Civilian Community Corps to assist in disaster response.

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Outcome

Changes for program beneficiaries included:

  • Having their homes cleaned of debris left by Tropical Storm Allison.
  • Reaching the rebuilding stage in home cleanup.
Changes for program participants included:

  • Recognizing and challenging ethnocentrism.
  • Continually improving relationships between cultures.
"Outcomes and impacts are difficult to measure because they come in the form of 'awareness, sensitivity, and inclusivity'." — AmeriCorps leader Brandi Deragon, writing about his experience with the Tribes and Territories Program in Montana on the website of the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, AmeriCorps Network Northwest. (http://www.nwrel.org/ecc/americorps/symposiums/1998/honor/ambassadors.html)

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Posted On

June 25, 2002

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For More Information

Bryson Gregg Coles
Tribal AmeriCorps Programs, Corporation for National and Community Service
Associate Program Officer
1201 New York Avenue
Washington, DC 20525
Phone: (202)606-5000, ext.

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Source Documents

Related Practices

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Related sites

American Indian Professional Services (ACKCO, Inc.)

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