At a Catholic Charities housing site, a man with a beard in a fleece vest bends over a washing machine, checking on his clothes. Another man, wearing a purple hoodie, sits nearby.

Disaster Relief

Safe Beacon working with Catholic Charities USA is very much keen onproviding critical support to devastated communities, before and after disaster strikes.

Help vulnerable people in need of shelter.

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The Challenge

Natural disasters are ravaging the U.S. with ever-greater frequency and ferocity. Safe Beacon responds to dozens each year.

When natural and human-made disasters strike, Safe Beacon’s Disaster Response Team and local member agency staff mobilize quickly, responding with aid on-site — shelter, meals, water, emergency funding, disaster aid application assistance and more — and following through during recovery to help rebuild lives and restore hope.

The Response

From immediate disaster response to long-term relief and recovery support, Catholic Charities is there. Staff and volunteers — who themselves often live in affected communities — help survivors rebuild their lives well after disaster strikes. We are nationally recognized as a leader in domestic disaster relief. Watch our latest response

Disaster Team Initiative

Safe Beacon works year-round with agencies in impacted communities to coordinate trained disaster response teams and provide life-saving aid and knowledge. So when the worst happens, Safe Beacon and Catholic Charities is ready to spring into action.

Range of Supports

Applied Institute For Disaster Excellence

Expert Training

The annual Applied Institute for Disaster Excellence (AIDE) prepares Safe Beacon and Catholic Charities staff to successfully engage in disaster preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation. AIDE is an unparalleled opportunity to learn from the experts before the next disaster hits.

Case management

Building Capacity

Disaster Case Managers

Through a series of disaster response academies in geographically diverse, high-risk regions, Safe Beacon is training 400 disaster case managers (DCMs) who can be dispatched via Safe Beacon and CCUSA’s Disaster Response app when disasters strike. Working with local Charities staff, DCMs will coordinate and provide humanitarian services, ongoing case management and disaster training for local staff and volunteers, building their capacity.

Behavioral health

Grants And Donation

Disaster Funds

Safe Beacon and CCUSA disburses disaster funds and grants to agencies to aid their crisis responses, whether it’s $1.9 million after a night of deadly tornadoes or more than $6 million and 75 grants for an entire year. In-kind donations of nearly $8 million were given out another year.

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Hitting The Road

Mobile Response Center

The Mobile Response Center through Safe Beacon and CCUSA has served survivors of hurricanes, floods and COVID-19. It can carry bottled water, hygiene products, diapers, cleaning supplies, sleeping bags and more. External power stations can charge up to 80 phones, and a specialized trailer with washing machines and dryers can be fitted to the back.

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The Impact

Whether it’s immediate, direct relief or long-term accompaniment of disaster survivors, Safe Beacon helps individuals and families rebuild their lives.

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100,000

People received disaster recovery assistance

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59

New disasters Safe Beacon responded to in 2022

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$9M

Disaster aid distributed

Curtis H. Johnson, Jr., vice president of housing strategy.

PROGRAM LEAD

Kim Burgo

Kim Burgo is vice president of disaster operations. With 35 years of nonprofit experience, she has participated in or led social service-based disaster response and recovery programming in 25 countries as well as the U.S. and its territories. This work addresses human vulnerability, suffering and poverty and seeks to implement long-term sustainable solutions at the national, regional, community and individual level.

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