Every disaster leaves behind voices that deserve to be heard.
Disaster Voices makes sure they are.
We elevate the lived experiences of people impacted by disasters and translate those experiences into research, policy reform, and lasting system change.
Community Voice
The people living through disasters hold critical insight into how systems succeed and where they fail. We make sure that insight reaches the rooms where decisions are made.
Research & Evidence
We study how disasters affect mental health, family stability, child development, and long-term recovery. Our research turns lived experience into evidence that policymakers cannot ignore.
Policy & System Change
We translate community testimony and research into concrete policy solutions strengthening disaster response, improving recovery systems, and demanding accountability from those in power.
On February 3, 2023, a Norfolk Southern freight train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio — releasing toxic chemicals into a small American town and exposing just how far the system had to go to protect the people who needed it most.
Misti Allison was living in East Palestine when the train derailed less than a mile from her home. She is a public health professional, a mother, and someone who believes that the people living through a disaster should have a say in what comes next.
She testified before Congress twice, wrote national publications, amplified the voices of her neighbors, and refused to let the headlines move on without the community. She turned lived experience into a platform that demands accountability and centers the people most affected.
Disaster Voices Institute is what she built.
Rooted in East Palestine. Built for Every Community.
“I'm here to put a face on this disaster. This isn't just a political issue. It is a people issue.”
— Misti Allison, U.S. Senate Testimony Founder, Disaster Voices Institute
The headlines move on. We don’t.
Join others who believe that the people living through disaster deserve to shape what comes after it.
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