Minuteman Disaster Response: Clearing a Path for Hope Through Chaos

In the hours and days following a natural disaster, those affected may have difficulty recognizing their homes and communities, leaving families overwhelmed and unsure where and how to begin recovery. The nonprofit organization Minuteman Disaster Response found their purpose in helping individuals and communities affected by natural disasters take those first crucial steps toward recovery.

“Minuteman’s goal is to aid in the aftermath of a disaster,” says John LeBeau, assistant executive director of national development at Minuteman Disaster Response, speaking from their national office in McKinney, Texas. “We want to go in and help people clean up debris and get them back to something closer to normality.” In 2023, Minuteman’s program (which spans the 48 contiguous states) assisted 93 families through post-disaster cleanup. This cleanup ranges from tree removal to tarping damaged roofs to carrying away any debris.

LeBeau describes the organization’s work as “totally self-sufficient,” with incident command trailers ready to deploy to impacted areas. “When I show up, I don’t depend on anybody for anything. All I need is work,” says LeBeau, a welcome relief to communities whose resources may already be stretched thin.

Minuteman’s work focuses on identifying the community’s unique needs and assisting with manual labor and cleanup. However, as LeBeau explains, there is another side to disaster relief: providing emotional support to those they are helping. “Ninety-nine percent of the people we’re dealing with [have] never experienced a disaster before in their life,” says LeBeau. “They’re wondering, ‘My whole world has just been thrown to the wind —what do I do?’”

“I tell my teams, ‘When you see a homeowner just standing there in a daze, stop—turn that machine off. Go over to them and talk. They know you can’t fix it, but you can sit with them. Just give them some hope’.”

As of mid-2024, the organization had already deployed 18 times before even entering hurricane season. LeBeau points out the harsh reality that “disasters aren’t going anywhere.” While the task sometimes seems overwhelming, LeBeau states his case: “Things are going to happen, and we want to be there.”

That spirit of generosity expands to Minuteman’s partnerships and collaborations throughout the country, including with Airlink—a nonprofit that provides free airline tickets to organizations like Minuteman, enabling volunteers to fly out to wherever their aid is needed. LeBeau calls this a “huge help” for the disaster response team, as most of the Minuteman team are volunteers.

Minuteman plans to increase their presence throughout additional FEMA regions, including to Puerto Rico. They rely on philanthropic support to aid these efforts. Unrestricted grantmaking by DAF (donor-advised fund) donors currently makes up around 10% to 15% of their charitable income and is increasing each year.

Volunteership, nonprofit peer partnership and philanthropy enable the team to continue their vital work. For LeBeau, the future of Minuteman Disaster Response shimmers with possibilities.