The volunteers who take part in search-and-rescue operations and then support disaster survivors belong to organizations that have become more formal and established over the past decade. Many are moving from informal, ad hoc groups to formal nonprofits. That’s what Good Good Good, a news outlet, found after spending more than four years volunteering alongside eight of these groups to better understand their role and the motivations of the people who participate in these efforts. Good Good Good did this research from 2017-2022 through many major disasters as part of a larger team of sociologists, an urban planning scholar, and emergency management specialists. While they volunteered with these organizations, they observed them in action and interviewed their leaders and volunteers to learn why they were making the time and taking personal risks to save others. Many cited their personal values, expressed their need to belong to a group, and said it had helped them find a sense of purpose.

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