SACRAMENTO — Reginald Mccray, 22, of Ridgecrest recently began a 10-month term of national service in FEMA Corps, an AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) program.

FEMA Corps provides a boost to the nation’s ability to assist disaster survivors while expanding career opportunities for young people ages 18 to 24. Based out of the Pacific Region campus in Sacramento, Calif., Mccray began his first project on March 27.

During his 10-month term of service, Mccray will assist citizens and communities that have been impacted by disasters, as well as provide administrative and logistical support to the nation’s emergency management system.

Serving on teams of 10 to 12 people, FEMA Corps members both travel to disaster-affected communities and support longer-term recovery operations across the country. Projects range from helping disaster survivors apply for FEMA assistance to mapping of disaster-stricken areas to sharing disaster preparedness and mitigation information with the public.

Mccray arrived at the AmeriCorps NCCC Pacific Region campus February 24 and completed four weeks of specialized training in teamwork, leadership development, communication, service learning, and in public assistance.

Prior to joining FEMA Corps, Mccray graduated from Ferriday High School in 2010.

“I chose a term of national service to further my knowledge of disaster preparedness,” Mccray said.

He is the son of Marilyn Mccray.