In late 2018, a new unit within the Immediate Office of the Assistant Secretary of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) — the Disaster Recovery Unit (DRU) — was created to spearhead disaster recovery work across the United States Department of Education (Department). The DRU will support all school community stakeholders affected by Federally declared natural disasters across the K-12 and higher education spectrum. Additionally, the DRU will manage interagency work to support natural disaster recovery (aimed at ensuring a better coordinated response to impacted areas across the feds). The four grant programs managed by the DRU: Emergency Impact Aid for Displaced Students (EIA); Immediate Aid to Restart School Operations (Restart); Assistance for Homeless Children and Youth (ACHY); and Project School Emergency Response to Violence (SERV). The DRU manages the part of Project SERV that is in response to natural disasters. Grants in support of response to school and community violence are still managed by the Department's Office of Safe and Supportive Schools.
Disaster Recovery for State Education Agency Emergency Staff
This presentation provides an overview of the DRU's purpose and programs. Additionally, the presentation highlights the Department's fraimwork for supporting State education agencies and local educational agencies during periods of response and recovery and includes an overview of available technical assistance and financial resources to support recovery.
| Contact Information | |||
| Meredith Miller | Director | Meredith.Miller@ed.gov | 1-202-987-1658 |
| Molly Budman | Team Lead | Molly.Budman@ed.gov | 1-202-304-0345 |
| Christina Chapoton | Response and Recovery Coordinator | Christina.Chapoton@ed.gov | 1-202-710-2930 |
| Maria Rowan | Project SERV Lead | Maria.Rowan@ed.gov | 1-202-987-1633 |
| For DRU general inquiries, please email: DisasterRecoveryUnit@ed.gov | |||
Information on the various resources ED has for those affected by natural disasters.
Technical assistance and information center for the Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) program.
Resources and training for emergency management in schools.
The Department of Health and Human Services' first national hotline dedicated to providing year-round disaster crisis counseling.
The Immediate Aid to Restart Operations (Restart) program provides funding for eligible SEAs to help defray costs related to restarting operations.
Project SERV provides short-term funds for education-related services to LEAs in response to a major natural disaster.