Pennsylvania VOAD is responding to the needs of communities across the State. Below, you will find information regarding our current responses. For more information on how you can assist our response efforts, click here. You can learn more about the response activities of National VOAD members by viewing the NVOAD VOAD VISION. To get the best picture of unmet needs join the PAVOAD Coordination call each second Friday of the month at 9 AM ET. If you know of unmet needs or have reports to share, please be prepared for the call.
FROM TIOGA COUNTY (Debbie Recovery)
To help rebuild in Tioga County, contact the Tioga County Partnership for Community Health or Develop Tioga.
FROM WESTERN PA VOAD – Spring 2025 STORMS – Contact Greg at uema@verizon.net or Michelle at michelle.ufner@teamrubiconusa.org.
For Somerset County contact Shar McCoy at ☎️814-485-3664.
FROM THE SUMMER OF 2023 STORMS IN BERKS COUNTY
Volunteer workdays will be held in July on July 11, 12, 25, and 26 from 8:30 AM – 4 PM. The work involves insulation & skirting on mobile homes. Meet @ the tool trailer in the back of the Antietam Valley High School – 100 Antietam Road, Reading @ 8:30AM. Please bring a lunch. To volunteer contact Sharon at berksrecoveryvolunteers@gmail.com.
FROM SOUTHEAST PA (IDA RECOVERY) – There are many opportunities for rebuild work in the greater Philadelphia area. Contact Denise at projectrestoration@epaumc.org.
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Volunteers are needed
Member agencies of PAVOAD are currently assisting in several responses. We do this in partnership with county departments of emergency services, PEMA, FEMA, and numerous community partners. You can stay up to date with the ongoing national responses at www.NVOAD.org. You can learn more about current needs and coordinated relief efforts here. You can learn more about national efforts from the NLIHC Disaster Housing Recovery Update.
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Do Not Self-deploy to disaster areas
Trusted VOAD organizations operating in the affected area know where volunteers are needed. Depending on the disaster and the current phase it is in, volunteers can be extremely helpful to ensure survivors can return to their new normal. By working with an established VOAD agencies, the appropriate safety, training and skills can be considered.
Recovery lasts a lot longer than media attention. There will be volunteer needs for many months, often many years, after the disaster. Your help often is needed long after a disaster.
If your organization has active response, please send your situation reports to pavoad3@gmail.com. You can stay up to date with the ongoing national responses at www.NVOAD.org and at www.pavoad.org. Local VOAD groups are responding to events throughout the Commonwealth. You can get a list of all the FEMA declared disasters here.
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Recently PEMA held a press conference in Berks County to talk about the success of this response and the Disaster Recovery Assistance Program (DRAP). Watch the press conference featuring these speakers: Randy Padfield, Director of PEMA, State Senator Judy Schwank, Brian Gottschall, Director, Berks County DES, and Julia Frank, President of PAVOAD. You can read a Reading Eagle article here.
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Volunteering is Good for Your Health.
Check out these statistics:
- Older volunteers in the U.S. experienced a 44% lower mortality rate than those who did not volunteer. (Source: Americorps)
- Volunteering leads to an 8.54% increase in mental health. (Source: BMC Public Health)
- 64% of employees who volunteer said it improved work relationships. (Source: United Health Group)
For more information, click volunteering statistics.
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IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT OUR COORDINATION OF EFFORTS:
It is important that PEMA and PAVOAD know about your efforts in all phases of disaster. Therefore,
- Continued Coordination – If any of our PA VOAD organizations are engaged in planning (touching base with county EMs, COADs, or other support partners) or support (feeding, sheltering, needs collection, etc.) activities, please complete this sit/rep form. (This is a public-facing form.) If you have specific details to share within our network, please email them to pavoad3@gmail.com and paval@pa.gov.
- Information/Status – If the CRCC is activated, PAVOAD will be there. When there are reports of communities being affected, PAVOAD and PEMA will want to know how our organizations are engaged. Early in the process PAVOAD members such as PA 211, Salvation Army, and the American Red Cross will be asked about their activities. All PAVOAD members should be prepared to report their activities.
- Escalation and Coordination – Depending on the extent of the event, you can anticipate PAVOAD holding Coordination Calls as necessary. Notification will be made via email and the PAVOAD Update.
- Who to Contact: Click on this link for a list of PAVOAD Board members and regional leaders, as well as PEMA contacts.