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Your Voice Matters Here.
The Disaster Voices Institute exists because of the people willing to step forward to share their story, engage with policymakers, and build something better for the community that comes after them. Here is how you can be part of that.
Share Your Story
Every disaster community has a story that deserves to be heard. Whether you are from a community impacted by environmental, industrial, or climate-related disaster, we want to hear from you.
Your story is not just a personal account. It is evidence. It is knowledge. It is part of a larger picture that policymakers, researchers, and the public need to understand, and that the Disaster Voices Institute is committed to making sure they do.
We want to hear about:
What your community experienced during and after the disaster
How your family's daily life, health, and sense of safety changed
What the response looked and felt like from where you were standing
Where the system showed up for your community — and where it failed
What you wish policymakers, researchers, and the public understood about what you lived through
Your story may be used in our research, included in our advocacy materials, shared with policymakers, or published on our Stories page. How your story is shared is entirely your decision. We will never publish anything without your explicit consent, and we will never share more than you are comfortable with.
If you are ready to share what your community has lived through, or if you are simply not sure yet and want to learn more about what the process looks like, we would be honored to hear from you.
The Disaster Voices Institute is building a national network of community members, researchers, advocates, and public health professionals committed to transforming how we prepare for, respond to, and recover from disaster.
We believe that change at this scale requires more than one organization working alone. It requires a connected, informed, and empowered community of people who understand — from different vantage points and different lived experiences — what disaster really costs and what genuine recovery really requires. That is what this network is built to be.
We welcome collaboration with:
Community members who have lived through disaster and want their experience to drive change
Researchers and public health professionals committed to community-centered science
Policymakers and legislative staff working to strengthen disaster response and recovery systems
Journalists and media professionals dedicated to telling the full story of disaster's human impact
Nonprofit and advocacy organizations working alongside impacted communities
Legal and environmental professionals who believe communities deserve answers and accountability
Network members receive training, resources, and support to engage effectively with media, policymakers, and the public. They gain access to research, policy briefs, and story documentation tools. And they become part of a growing community of people from across the country who are committed to making sure that the next disaster community is better supported, better heard, and better served than the ones that came before them.