Et cetera : NCCC-FEMA Corps Team Hickory 1 Spends Service Round in Detroit

Mayor of Oak Park at the registration location.L to R: Amanda, Toby, Mayor McClellan,David,Johnathon

By: Krystal Beres

Hickory 1 is a Disaster Survivor Assistance (DSA) team, currently located in Detroit, Michigan to aid with the August flooding. DSA teams go to locations of Emergency or presidentially declared disasters and assist the survivors in registering for federal assistance. If the applicants are found eligible, the assistance they receive will help them clean up after the disaster and repair disaster-related damages to their home.

On September 26, three counties around Detroit, Michigan (Macomb, Wayne, and Oakland) received a Presidential declaration of disaster. This enabled them to receive federal aid to help recover from the flooding.

Hickory 1 arrived in Michigan three days after the declaration and began training a day later. After training was completed, the team began registering survivors on October 1. One of the team members, Ayan, explains how it feels to be doing this kind of service, “It feels empowering to be out in the field working face-to-face with these survivors, who have been through so much.” The overall consensus of Hickory 1 team members is that they are making a difference in the lives of these survivors and that they are getting things done.