Helping U.S. Communities Recover after a Disaster

In this video, Josh Barnes, Acting Director of Disaster Recovery for HHS’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), describes his passion for helping people rebuild their communities after disasters. ASPR focuses on providing health and social service needs following a disaster, closing the distance between resources and the people who need them. Teams are constantly preparing for the next recovery effort, constructing plans for a wide range of disaster types. Following the 2017 hurricane season, one of the most devastating seasons on record, HHS employees from many agencies joined hurricane response and recovery teams. Barnes himself has responded to over 30 disasters recovery missions throughout his career.