About Us

Begun in 1997, New York City Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NYCVOAD) is New York City's local affiliate of National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD).  The membership of NYCVOAD consists of both locally based organizations and local representatives of national organizations. Its mission is to strengthen the capabilities of organizations working together in NYC to relieve human suffering caused by disaster.  NYCVOAD member organizations cover a broad range of missions and technical expertise, from those that are solely disaster focused to those with more broad focus but with disaster application.

 NYCVOAD seeks to meet the mandate of its mission through:

  • Communication

  • Committees and Working Groups

  • Membership

Our History

NYCVOAD began in 1997 and gained substantial support in 2001 after the attacks on the World Trade Center.  Since then, NYCVOAD has responded to the following disasters by serving as a convener of agencies, facilitating communication between community organizations and government entities, sharing agency capacity data, connecting players, and/or sharing best practices, etc.:

  • Blackout (2003)

  • Staten Island Ferry Crash (2003)

  • Hurricane Katrina (2005)

  • Tornadoes in Brooklyn (2007)

  • Steampipe Explosion - Grand Central (2007)

  • Flight 1549 - Hudson River (2009)

  • H1N1 Virus (2009)

  • Haiti Earthquake (2010)

  • Hurricane Irene (2011)

  • Superstorm Sandy (2012)

  • East Village Gas Explosion (2015)

  • Hurricane Evacuees (2017)

  • COVID-19 (2020)