Emergency Response & Preparedness

Help empower communities around the world.

Your gift today strengthens CORE’s mission as we continue our commitment to responding quickly to crises and empowering vulnerable communities. Join in our fight as we work together to create a brighter and more equitable future.

Increasing climate-fueled disasters, deepening social inequalities and escalating geo-political conflicts are intensifying the frequency and severity of global emergencies, and marginalized communities are disproportionately impacted.

When a humanitarian disaster strikes, CORE works quickly to assess needs and rapidly deploy an emergency response team to efficiently address targeted needs while empowering communities in and beyond crisis.

Our History.

CORE’s journey began in 2010, when a catastrophic 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck just 15 miles outside of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince. Sean Penn rapidly mobilized his network to provide initial relief and medical care. But his efforts quickly evolved when he formed J/P HRO – what would eventually become CORE – to manage the largest displacement camp in Haiti.

After mobilizing to support Haiti following devastating Hurricane Matthew (Category 5) in 2016, CORE expanded our mission to bring community-focused relief to underserved populations in the wake of disasters across the Caribbean and into the United States.

This same imperative to save lives and support the most vulnerable and marginalized communities led CORE to respond and fill gaps throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. And in 2022, CORE was among the first humanitarian organizations on the ground, quickly working with international and local partners to support the immediate needs of people affected by the war in Ukraine.

Each of these responses increased CORE’s capabilities as a global humanitarian response organization. And it solidified our mission to empower communities in and beyond crisis. Today, we stand ready to deploy in the face of natural or man-made disasters worldwide and are committed to a locally led approach, so communities are prepared to effectively respond to future crisis from within.

Our Approach.

CORE is committed to delivering immediate relief and recovery to marginalized communities facing disasters worldwide. Following humanitarian emergencies, we listen, we learn and then we act – because local communities know best what their needs are and how to fill them. We do not take a one-size-fits-all approach to emergency response; rather, we develop solutions that are tailored to the communities we serve.

CORE’s efforts are fueled by local hands, and we partner with local leaders, organizations, governments, and other stakeholders to bring equitable relief to those who need it most. We prioritize partnerships with community-based organizations that truly represent and advocate for the people we aim to serve.

CORE considers coordination as an imperative and values working with local and national voluntary organizations active in disaster (VOADs) in domestic situations, and actively participating in cluster meetings in international contexts, which enables us to be efficient in designing both short-term and medium-term responses.

Community and resilience building is at the heart of every response. We remain committed to empowering communities in and beyond crisis, leaving them stronger and better prepared for the next disaster.

Our Team.

Our team closely monitors potential and ongoing emergencies around the world—from natural disasters to conflict and longstanding humanitarian crises—and strategically assesses CORE’s capacity to reach marginalized communities with relevant services and resources. Our security, programs, logistics, and HQ teams coordinate in real time to evaluate risks, mobilize resources, and connect with stakeholders. We use a combination of databases, the social vulnerability index (SVI), flood maps, fire maps, and property value indices to develop customized target area to design our responses.

Additionally, CORE is building a robust emergency response team with a roster of technical experts and volunteers to carry out domestic and international responses. Their specialized skills and compassion are vital to CORE’s mission and impact.

Our Work.

CORE has worked on five continents responding to natural disasters, conflict, food insecurity, migrant crises, disease outbreaks, climate change, and public health emergencies. Over the years, we have provided acute, life-saving relief and recovery solutions to communities impacted by conflict and humanitarian crises in Ukraine and Sudan; earthquakes in Haiti and Turkey; hurricanes in Georgia, NOLA, and Florida; flooding in California and Pakistan, and more.

We coordinate with community members, local governments, and community-based organizations and take a needs-based approach to best support those impacted by disaster. We maintain the capacity to implement a variety of programs, including but not limited to: operating efficient Points of Distributions (PODs), safely delivering Cash and Voucher assistance, coordinating mobile medical units, conducting infrastructure or home repairs, facilitating NFI distributions, conducting debris removal, among others.

With the help of our partners and generous supporters, we’ve brought immediate relief and long-term recovery solutions to marginalized populations in 27 regions worldwide, supporting over 10 million people from Haiti to Navajo Nation to India to Ukraine.

5 continents

27 regions

10 million

people supported

We Are Responding.

Brazil Floods 2024

Sudan

Haiti

Ukraine