Former FEMA Director Craig Fugate to Join World Cares Center’s 9/10 Emergency Management Panel

NEW YORK, August 19, 2025 — World Cares Center (WCC), one of the nation’s oldest non-profits born from the ashes of 9/11, announced today that Craig Fugate, former FEMA Director, will join an esteemed group of panelists for a discussion on September 10, 2025, spotlighting community-based disaster resilience and volunteer integration.

Hosted by World Cares Center in partnership with 9/11 Day and Americorps, The Evolution of Volunteerism in Disaster Response – Lessons from September 11 includes subject matter experts from around the globe who will discuss how 9/11 has impacted their community-led disaster response initiatives and the evolution of Volunteerism. Free registration for this Zoom session is available on the WCC website.

As the nation faces increasing climate-related emergencies and federal disaster response budgets shrink, communities are being called to fill the gaps. The President’s recent Executive Order on decentralizing federal response efforts further shifts the burden to local and state authorities. With this transition, the role of grassroots organizations like World Cares Center is more vital than ever.

“I often speak of the idea of whole of community,” said WCC founder and president Lisa Orloff. “Craig Fugate was the one to introduce the concept and acknowledge that FEMA can’t respond alone, it needs local community help. We are honored to have him on the panel.”

“In every disaster, volunteers aren’t extra–they are essential,” said Fugate.

Fugate led FEMA through multiple record-breaking disaster years and oversaw the Federal Government’s response to major events such as Hurricane Sandy, Hurricane Matthew, and the 2016 Louisiana flooding. His participation underscores the national relevance of the panel’s theme: Community-Powered Preparedness in a Changing Disaster Landscape. A longtime champion of empowering spontaneous and local volunteers, Fugate’s philosophy aligns deeply with WCC’s mission, and his endorsement of its work is a significant milestone.

World Cares Center is a leader in local leader and disaster volunteer training across the country and globally. Our work is local but spans the globe from the NJ Office of Emergency Management during Hurricane Irene, Sri Lanks Department of Public Health and our current work with Orange County, NY’s Office of Public Health. With disaster management shifting to local hands our work is more important than ever as we expand our support of Offices of Emergency Management nationwide.

To learn more about the panel and register visit: https://worldcares.org/the-evolution-of-volunteerism-in-disaster-response-lessons-learned-from-september-11-2001-beyond/

This panel, held on the eve of the anniversary of 9/11, sets the stage for Stars Under the Stars, WCC’s annual fundraising gala that celebrates local heroes and supports our training programs like the Collaborative Disaster Volunteer Credential and the Hope, Love, Courage Resiliency Workshops.

Join us in reimagining disaster preparedness from the ground up.

About World Cares Center:
Founded in 2001 in the aftermath of the 9/11 World Trade Center disaster, New York City-based World Cares Center (WCC) empowers communities to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters through training, support, and volunteer coordination. Since its founding, WCC has been dedicated to fostering resilience and preparedness in communities around the globe. Learn more: https://worldcares.org/.