America could benefit from a national disaster corps

As extreme weather worsens, grassroots organizations like Florida’s Rural Women’s Health Project (RWHP) are stepping in to fill gaps in government disaster relief, showing the need for a formal disaster corps to aid in recovery.

Zoë Schlanger reports for The Atlantic.

In short:

• Florida’s RWHP plays a key role in hurricane relief, supporting vulnerable communities often overlooked by official responses.
• Mutual aid groups rapidly mobilize to help after disasters, but lack the funding and formal support necessary to scale their efforts.
• Proposals for a national disaster corps suggest turning local mutual aid into a government-backed, organized workforce.

Key quote:

“Resilience is fundamentally a public good. There should be a public jobs program around resilience.”

— Saket Soni, longtime labor organizer and the founder of Resilience Force

Why this matters:

Extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and severity. A formalized disaster corps could better prepare communities and reduce long-term recovery costs, while creating jobs and empowering grassroots organizations.