First Local Hires Group Sworn In

As FEMA’s first New York local hire following Hurricane Sandy, Ramona Faoye brings more than administrative skills to her job in Human Resources – she brings empathy.

Although the hurricane spared Faoye’s Brooklyn home, the storm left many of her friends with severely flooded apartments and plenty of worry.

“I am fortunate,” she said. “I have this job and working here makes me feel like I’m giving back to people who need help,” she said.

Faoye and 41 other New Yorkers have joined FEMA so far for full-time temporary jobs as part of the disaster recovery effort. The FEMA workforce in New York is expected to include as many as 800 local hires by Dec. 31.

These skilled workers are being hired for jobs in a variety of areas, including Individual Assistance, the department that oversees financial aid to disaster survivors; Community Relations, Logistics and Human Resources.

“They bring local experience and a feeling for the community,” said FEMA’s local hiring manager Michele Sturman.  “That’s an invaluable asset.”

Candidates who possess needed skills and pass a background check will be formally offered positions and sworn in, and then sent to the program areas they have been assigned where they might be assisting survivors with applications or going door-to-door as part of a team of Community Relations specialists.

The first group of local hires was sworn in Nov. 26 by Federal Coordinating Officer Michael Byrne, who is in charge of the response and recovery operation in New York.

As the group was sworn in at the Joint Field Office in Queens, Bryne said, “I’m going to ask you all to reflect on the enormity of Sandy. If you follow what I call the three C’s – commitment, compassion and courage – you will be successful in serving the community and survivors well.”

And with a smile he added: “Now get to work.”

People interested in applying for positions or finding out more can search online.

Local hire jobs will be posted on the New York State Job Bank website //newyork.us.jobs/. Insert the word FEMA in the website’s key word search box to access the latest FEMA job postings.