In the September 2017 edition of SEVP Spotlight, Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) field representative Montsé Garcia explains how a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) training exercise helped prepare her to take an active role in the government’s response to Hurricane Harvey.

Ms. Garcia, along with eight other SEVP field representatives, is a volunteer in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)’s Surge Capacity Force (SCF). SCF volunteers take temporary leave from their regular roles at DHS to help FEMA in large-scale disaster recovery efforts.

In the wake of Hurricane Harvey’s destruction, the Secretary of DHS activated SCF, sending 6,000 volunteers from across the department to help rebuild communities. DHS also sent additional SCF volunteers to assist in the disaster recovery efforts for Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

Read the latest issue of SEVP Spotlight, available on Study in the States, for more about SCF and the simulated training activity that helps keep volunteers ready for action.