Conservation Corps AmeriCorps members deploy for disaster relief in Saipan
PRESS RELEASE
Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa
September 2, 2015
For immediate release
CONTACTS
Tim Johnson-Grass, program director/young adult field crew programs
Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa
651.209.9900 x18
tim@conservationcorps.org
Connie Lanphear, communications specialist
Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa
651.209.9900 x26
connie@conservationcorps.org
Conservation Corps AmeriCorps members deploy for disaster relief in Saipan
Four-person crew will manage volunteers in wake of damage from Typhoon Soudelor
Saint Paul, Minn. — Early this morning, a crew of AmeriCorps young adults from Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa boarded a plane for Saipan, where Typhoon Soudelor made landfall on August 2 before heading to Taiwan, China and Japan’s Ryukuy Islands. The typhoon left at least 38 dead and many more injured, and displaced thousands. There is still no power on the island and running water has been restored to only some areas. Saipan is one of the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. commonwealth in the Western Pacific.
During its 30-day deployment, the crew will set up a Volunteer Reception Center (VRC) to help coordinate and manage volunteers from multiple agencies and community groups. Derick Schneibel, Iowa assistant program manager, will lead the crew, which includes Dan Burch and Brian Krantz-White (both serving on Corps crews in Rochester, Minn.), and Tonya Dunsmoor (serving on a crew based in Ames, Iowa).
On August 6, President Obama declared the Northern Mariana Islands a federal disaster area, allowing residents to receive government aid. Saipan’s Disaster Recovery Center opened shortly after with officers from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Small Business Administration and American Red Cross. Read more details about the typhoon’s effects on all these areas.
###
About Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa: A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa provides hands-on environmental stewardship and service-learning opportunities for youth and young adults. They accomplish conservation, natural resource management and emergency response work throughout Minnesota, Iowa and surrounding states. conservationcorps.org
About AmeriCorps: AmeriCorps engages more than 80,000 men and women in intensive service each year through more than 15,000 nonprofits, schools, public agencies and community and faith-based groups across the country. Since 1994, AmeriCorps has provided critical support to millions of Americans affected by tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, forest fires, terror attacks and other natural and man-made disasters, and is a vital resource in America’s emergency management infrastructure.