They responded to Hurricane Sandy and the Oklahoma tornadoes, assisted disaster survivors nationwide at their greatest time of need, helped pioneer new methods of disaster response, and developed leadership and problem-solving skills to last a lifetime.

After completing 10 months of intensive service to disaster survivors, a total of 291 FEMA Corps members based at the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) campuses in Sacramento and Denver were honored at graduation ceremonies on Nov. 19 and Nov. 20, respectively. These were the first graduating classes of FEMA Corps members from these campuses.

FEMA Corps is an innovative partnership between the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) to enhance the nation’s disaster response and recovery capacity while expanding career opportunities for young people.

Established as a new unit within the existing AmeriCorps NCCC, FEMA Corps engages young adults ages 18 to 24 to serve on disaster response and recovery projects. Some local individuals were part of this effort and just completed their 10-month term of full-time service: Laurie Miller of North Providence, Kayla Cilley of Warwick, Andrew Joyce of West Kingston and Michael Fortin of West Greenwich.

Miller and Cilley were based at NCCC’s Pacific Region Campus in Sacramento, Calif. Joyce and Fortin were based at NCCC’s Southwest Region campus in Denver. All members arrived at their respective campuses to begin training in February 2013. Most corps members departed from their respective campus and began travel to their home of record immediately following the Nov. 19 and Nov. 20 ceremonies.

After completing training in March 2013, FEMA Corps members deployed across the United States to provide both immediate response and long-term recovery support in emergency management. When not assigned to immediate disaster response, the teams served FEMA in locations across the country assisting with longer-term recovery operations.

During their 159 projects, these Sacramento- and Denver-based corps members completed 650,000 hours of service. A small sampling of their accomplishments include collecting or distributing over 5 million pounds of supplies, goods, food and clothing, conducting about 30,000 case status updates, and answering approximately 10,000 registration or helpline calls, among many other measures.

Before joining FEMA Corps, Miller attended LaSalle Academy and University of British Columbia. She is the daughter of Maren Nelson. Cilley attended Warwick Veterans Memorial High School and University at Albany, where she studied Sociology. She is the daughter of Laurie and Bill Cilley.

Before joining FEMA Corps, Joyce attended South Kingstown High School and University of Rhode Island, where he studied Sociology. He is the son of Steve and Rosemary Joyce. Fortin attended Exeter West Greenwich Regional High School and Community College of Rhode Island, where he studied Emergency Management. He is the son of Mark and Dana Fortin.

There are three other NCCC campuses located in Perry Point, Md., Vicksburg, Miss., and Vinton, Iowa, each of which is a hub for its respective area of the country, though teams will travel to other regions to address needs in disaster.