Boots on the Ground:

Staying mentally healthy during disaster deployment

Twenty-four Washington Conservation Corps (WCC) AmeriCorps members just finished up a 30-day deployment to Texas assisting communities affected by Hurricane Harvey. We served alongside numerous other programs including the Texas Conservation Corps at American YouthWorks, Conservation Corps Minnesota and Iowa, AmeriCorps' Corporation for National and Community Service, and American Red Cross.

This week, we will send 12 WCC staff and AmeriCorps members to both Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands to help with the response to Hurricane Maria. Six more AmeriCorps members and staff are heading to Florida to assist communities affected by Hurricane Irma, and a new wave of 30 AmeriCorps members and staff will head for a second 30-day deployment to Texas.

AmeriCorps Disaster Response Teams capacity expands

It's amazing how fast 24 hours can go by. When you’re serving on an AmeriCorps Disaster Response Team assignment, so much happens in 24 hours it feels like an entire week. It’s hard to believe that our WCC disaster response team members arrived in Austin just three weeks ago.

We have been serving 13-hour days, seven days a week, to maintain and support the overwhelming amount of donations and volunteers. If you were to ask anyone on the WCC response team how long they’ve been deployed to Texas, they might reply, “between 45 to 60 years.” That’s how long three weeks can feel during an emergency response.

A little more than a week ago, 38 Texas Conservation Corps (TxCC) and 52 Minnesota and Iowa Conservation Corps (CCMI) members arrived in Austin and we have been providing disaster response training and hands-on experience for the projects our new colleagues will support.

WCC AmeriCorps members Kelly Lewis (L) and Kayla Seaforth
(R) lead the AmeriCorps Disaster Response Team planning section.

Training new teams through
 peer-to-peer dialogue

As part of the training, we engaged in an exercise that meant a lot to me when I received it as part of my WCC service. We divided the group into two sections: Those who had previous disaster response experience and those who did not.

The seasoned responders wrote down the top five things they wish they had known before embarking on a response assignment. We asked those serving on their first disaster assignment to write their top 10 questions about what it's like to serve on a disaster response team. After much deliberation and conversation, representatives from each group reported back.

Our Texas colleague Byron Zuniga kicked off the session sharing a pointer from someone with response experience: “Remember to take a token or a favorite snack from home because it truly cannot be expressed how comforting a little bit of home can be when you're away for this long.”

As things got rolling, the dialogue opened up, turning into a conversation that helped those with any jitters about heading out to be deployed. The questions reminded more seasoned responders how much advice they had to offer.

WCC AmeriCorps members train with other A-DRT programs
to prepare for upcoming projects across Texas.

Taking time to focus
on mental health and self-care

I think everyone in the group soon realized they would be able to make it through a deployment alongside their friends and fellow AmeriCorps members. We also discussed a few light-hearted issues like ways to spend our down time such as reading books, learning new card games, and engaging in general relaxation activities.

Some of the questions were more serious – such as the best strategies to help people feeling overwhelmed by the disaster and sympathetic stress. That answer wasn't so cut and dried. We discussed taking time to get in touch with loved ones at home, talking with a close member of your crew, or asking for a day off to help with mental health. The atmosphere in the room was one of genuine kinship. The knowledge that everyone there really wanted to help felt supportive and encouraging.

Focused trainings worthwhile across programs

All too often in times of distress, mental health is pushed to the side. However, talking about these issues is one of the healthiest, most important things we can do to help people lower their emotional and physical stress during a disaster. Some of the things that happen during a disaster may not hit a responder until days or even weeks after they’re home and away from the incident.

Providing space for those feelings and talking with people with similar experiences helps responders process the experience. It was extremely reassuring to be in a room full of people telling everyone these feelings are normal and OK.

The issues surrounding mental health during and after a disaster was a critical part of my second- year disaster training as a WCC AmeriCorps member. I was excited to bring some of the same curriculum to a larger audience.

At the end of our training session in Texas, we handed out feedback sheets. Among the questions: “What was your favorite part of disaster training?” I was thrilled to see that overwhelmingly, people said the group discussion about what to expect and how to take care of yourself during and after a disaster response deployment was one of their top sessions.

Trained, geared up, and ready to assist communities in need

WCC AmeriCorps members utilize safety gear when entering homes for debris removal and other projects. Photos by Rob Crawford, Alex Wunder and Dillon Benitez.

CCMI is headed to Houston to begin home assessments and gutting projects while TxCC is off to Corpus Christi to do the same. I was honored to provide training for my colleagues in these amazing programs. I wish them all the best as they head out to their assignments, armed with a little more information and ability to better serve affected communities of Texas and themselves.

By Alex Wunder, WCC AmeriCorps Disaster Response Team public information officer

Join the WCC

Do you want to help the environment, meet great people and make a difference in your community? Recruitment for six-month WCC AmeriCorps positions will open in February 2018! Lean more and apply online today. See photos of the types of projects WCC members support during their service in our WCC projects Flickr set and WCC featured projects story map.

Learn more about serving as a WCC AmeriCorps member: www.ecy.wa.gov/wcc

A day in the life of a WCC AmeriCorps member

Washington Conservation Corps (WCC) is seeking young adults ages 18-25 and military veterans for six-month positions on our crews across the state! The WCC, an AmeriCorps program run by Ecology, provides opportunities for young adults and veterans to gain hands-on environmental experience, field skills, formal training and funds for education.

But don’t take it from us! Learn what a WCC position is like from our current WCC AmeriCorps member Steven Quick:

My first few months in WCC

I’ve been interested in Washington Conservation Corps positions for a long time. WCC seemed like a great opportunity to be outdoors, learn about environmental careers and grow professionally. So, late last year I was thrilled by the opportunity to join a spike crew supervised by Junior Fuimaono as a 12-month WCC AmeriCorps member. So far, we have served mostly on planting and wetland rehabilitation projects for Dash Point, the city of DuPont and the city of Orting. We’ve also participated in eight-day service spikes for the Kitsap Conservation District (KCD).

Wait, what is a “spike?”

There are a number of different WCC crews throughout Washington state. A spike crew is intended to support short-term projects where a sponsor needs extra hands on deck or fill in if the normal crew is deployed on disaster response.

We’ve only spiked at KCD so far, planting tree plugs and live stakes. During spikes we are allotted money for meals, and lodging is arranged by the WCC program. During our KCD spikes we stayed at a local, family-owned inn in Poulsbo that offered breakfast every morning. I’m told the experience will be a lot different when we spike at places like Mt. Adams or Mt. Rainier as we’re likely to be roughing it in the backcountry.

What’s a typical week like? 

For every spike week so far, we arrive at our crew base in Tacoma at 7 a.m. like any other day and pack up the truck with tools based on what services we’ll be providing (planting, falling trees, etc). Tools could include a chainsaw, Pulaskis, rock bars, stake pounders, loppers and shovels. Then we head out to the project site together in a WCC truck to meet the sponsor, put in a good day’s worth of service, and get groceries before checking into the hotel or other lodging accommodations for the evening. I like to try to enjoy the local scenery or art if possible after a day in the field, but the crew normally brings a board game or something that occupies our time as well.

The services we undertake in the city are just as valuable to our personal enrichment as our spike assignments. Serving in the city of DuPont was an extremely enlightening week because it was the first week of the crew year, and it broke every single standard I had set. It was something to get used to, considering I’ve never had a position this laborious, but I adapted quickly. It was fun to mingle with other public service workers, make connections and create relationships for the future. Junior said on our first day, “Treat these people well, they could be your future employers.” After meeting so many different people through the projects we’ve accomplished, I’m already delighted by the idea of working with them more one day!

What else does the program offer?

I’ll never forget orientation week at Cispus Learning Center. It was a tremendous learning experience and a great chance to meet hundreds of other WCC AmeriCorps members from all walks of life. Orientation training involved a four-day spike week in the woods near Mt. Rainier, where we received the rundown on AmeriCorps expectations and attended additional courses to prepare us for our year in the WCC.

We go back to Cispus Learning Center again in March and June for extracurricular training courses on environmental topics for resume enrichment, which everyone is really excited for. Orientation, though, was particularly fascinating to me because of the sheer diversity of people and the chance to network and hear ideas.

WCC is already teaching me lessons for life

Ultimately, the lesson I’ve learned during my application process and over the last three months is to prepare and persevere. My supervisor, Junior, told me to take advantage of the networking opportunities this position offers. I encourage prospective applicants to do the same, even if they haven’t been interviewed yet. Find someone willing to share about the program and answer your questions!

Before WCC, I met two corps members that offered their recommendation, I spent time researching online to piece together what the next year would look like, and I spoke to people about what else I could do to put my best foot forward. I volunteered, wrote and researched. I think anyone can really grow in this program; it is what you make of it.

By: Steven Quick, WCC Pierce County spike crew AmeriCorps member

Do you want to help the environment, meet great people and make a real difference? Join Ecology's Washington Conservation Corps, an AmeriCorps Program consisting of three subprograms: the core WCC, Veteran Conservation Corps and Puget SoundCorps.

See photos of the types of projects WCC members support during their service in our WCC Projects Flickr set and WCC Featured Projects Story Map. Learn more and apply online today to become a member of WCC:

www.ecy.wa.gov/wcc

WCC disaster response: Looking back on Louisiana

In August, 72 Washington Conservation Corps (WCC) AmeriCorps members and crew supervisors deployed to the Baton Rouge area to assist communities affected by devastating flooding. Below, five recently-returned WCC AmeriCorps members reflect on their disaster response experience in Louisiana.

A dispatched WCC member guts walls and floors rotted by floodwaters in Louisiana. Photo by: FEMA/J.T. Blatty

WCC supervisor Ernie Farmer served as Incident Commander for the first month of AmeriCorps Disaster Response Team efforts, with WCC supervisors Rob Crawford, Phill VanKessel and other supervisors also holding key leadership roles. WCC AmeriCorps members organized volunteer reception centers, helped muck and gut homes, cleared debris from homes and much more.

The initial group of WCC staff and AmeriCorps members returned to Washington on Sept. 20. WCC supervisor Adam Hein and five WCC AmeriCorps members returned Oct. 14 from the second wave of response efforts. Thank you to all who have served and supported this response!

Andrew Hacker, WCC AmeriCorps City of Bellingham crew member 

Having the opportunity to participate in a Washington Conservation Corps disaster response has been something that I had wanted to do since I started my year of service. Finishing off my first year as a WCC AmeriCorps member aiding survivors of flooding in Louisiana for a month has been a unique and enriching experience that I will never forget. I entered the state expecting to see a community full of misery, hopelessness and sorrow but what I saw was completely different. Instead, I found a community full of hope, graciousness and hospitality.

Throughout the houses that I aided in mucking and gutting, there is not a single person that I will not remember. From the cheerful pleasantries of Jimmy to the hilarious joviality of Benny, each person had a positive outlook on life and a unique perspective of the flood that frankly surprised me. Looking past themselves, almost all of the people we assisted were genuinely interested in our Louisiana experience. Most days we had meals supplied to us by these community members in an effort to make us more comfortable and satisfied. This was something I wouldn’t have expected. Each day might have been long, smelly and arduous but there is not one moment in this experience that I would take back.

Maia Gurol, WCC AmeriCorps City of Bellingham crew member 2015-2016 

Louisiana is an amazing place full of culture, delicious food and warm-hearted people. It is also full of guns, churches and lots and lots of bugs. Mold grows quickly in the humidity. Rural poverty is hard to grasp without seeing it in person. I have seen people at their absolute worst, sitting in a shelter with only the possessions under their cots to remind them of what they lost. The few days I spent hearing people’s stories of survival and loss while visiting shelters were some of the hardest, most emotional days of my life. I have also seen people at their best, persevering with a smile on their face and laughing with people who—only hours before—were strangers. Every day was a different challenge, plans changed every few hours and quickly we all learned to expect the unexpected.

Overall I am extremely grateful for having been given the opportunity to be part of this disaster deployment. This experience has been long, hot, sticky, overwhelming, delicious, disgusting, exciting, sad, interesting and heartwarming. I have learned far more than I ever expected about myself, about my crewmates, about construction and so much more. It is hard to put into one paragraph, but to sum it up I think I have become a better, more informed and empathetic person because of this opportunity. I have laughed a lot and bonded with both my crewmates and homeowners. I have also cried, knowing that we can only help so much. I am glad to being going home, but I will remember this month for the rest of my life. Also, our supervisor Lyle is an amazing human being.

Riley Thorpe, WCC AmeriCorps City of Bellingham crew member 2015-2016 

Louisiana is great. The people are warm and welcoming, there are crazy animals and bugs everywhere, and I’ve never had so much good food in such a short of time. Southern Hospitality is real, and it is delicious. It’s also really, really hot out here. Come lunchtime, we usually have already sweated through the clothes and Tyvek suits we wear to protect us from the mold and muck. It’s not as bad as it sounds though. As gross as the cleanup can be, this whole trip has been immensely rewarding. All the homeowners are so grateful and loving towards us that it gives tasks an immediate feeling of purpose. There’s a mutual feeling of appreciation between us and the homeowners, and I think that’s what makes the whole thing worthwhile.

And I think I speak for all of us when I say that I am extremely impressed by our supervisor Lyle. He keeps his cool through all of the ridiculous jobs he is in charge of, and has always been there for us. I don’t know how he does it, that guy’s unstoppable!

Nicolas Holmquist, WCC AmeriCorps City of Bellingham crew member 2015-2016 

Ending the WCC service year on disaster response was an opportunity I am glad I took. I have wanted to have an experience like this for a while. I plan to join the military. When I do, I intend to choose a career that—to some extent—provides a similar chance to help out with various disasters. Being able to help out the folks in Louisiana has not only opened me up as a person, but has allowed me to truly see how strong and hopeful a community can be when all are united in a similar cause.

Mucking and gutting in no way has been a pleasant task, but the after effect of it has been far more rewarding than I originally thought it was going to be. Seeing how grateful and generous the people are here continually enriches the spirit to do more for them and get the project done. The experience I have had here has been like no other. I am thankful that I was able to be a part of the service that’s going on here. It not only gives further initiative to help communities in the future, it inspires me not to take things for granted.

Kaitlyn Hammond, Whatcom Land Trust WCC AmeriCorps individual placement 2015-2016

If you had told me on Monday that I would be leaving on Saturday for a 30-day deployment to Louisiana to respond to catastrophic flooding, I would have laughed. I never thought I would do anything like this, but I am so grateful to have participated in this deployment, interacted with locals and learned new skills—about other cultures and about myself.

The first thing I learned is that Southern Hospitality is real. Oh, so real. From day one we were greeted with, “Mornin’ darlin’! Can I get ya’ll anythin’ to eat?” Even if we weren’t hungry, we knew better than to say no to these incredibly thoughtful people and miss out on some of the best food in the country. From gumbo to jambalaya to fried chicken, homeowners who had lost everything went out of their way to provide us with hot meals to ensure we got the real Louisiana experience. Our crew spent most of our time mucking and gutting homes. While the worst was over for these people, helping them sort through what was left of their possessions brought us immediately into an intimate relationship with a stranger.

The projects were hard, and I don’t think I’ve ever sweated so much in my life. Our assignments changed like the weather (sometimes with the weather!), and we were able to see a lot of the area around Baton Rouge. I’ve always thought of myself as a flexible person, but I realize now that I really like knowing the plan! Amidst these minor irritations, I was fortunate enough to get to know a lot of incredible WCC AmeriCorps members and supervisors, and feel like I have a greater appreciation for the program as a whole. The resiliency of people—both AmeriCorps members bouncing back from the hard work and heat, and survivors offering us blessings and love despite having lost so much—was overwhelming. This resiliency will continue to give me hope far into the future. I aim to one day be a part of such an important response team again.

WCC’s disaster response program

Four of our WCC crews are designated disaster response crews, though any crew has the potential to deploy. Deployments range from national to local disasters, supporting flood response and prevention, wildfire operations, hurricane assistance and more.

Dispatched WCC members join FEMA to assess flood damage in a Louisiana home. Photo by: FEMA/J.T. Blatty

Twenty-four of our WCC AmeriCorps members and staff deployed to Florida on Sunday, Oct. 16, to assist communities affected by Hurricane Matthew flooding. With several thousand requests for assistance already on file, members and staff will stay busy with Volunteer Reception Center set up and command, debris removal, mucking and gutting homes and more. We're proud that our team is willing to give to those in need after natural disasters.

Join WCC!

Do you want to help the environment, meet great people and make a real difference? The 2016-2017 AmeriCorps year just kicked off, but check back in February to apply for six-month positions with WCC! Ecology's Washington Conservation Corps, an AmeriCorps Program, consists of three subprograms: the original WCC, Veteran Conservation Corps and Puget SoundCorps.

A dispatched WCC member removes wall panels damaged by flooding in Louisiana. Photo by: FEMA/J.T. Blatty

See the types of projects WCC members support during their service in our WCC Projects Flickr set and WCC Featured Projects Story Map.

Story compiled and written by: Laura Schlabach, WCC outreach coordinator

Learn more about WCC at: www.ecy.wa.gov/wcc