This story is part of The Disaster Economy , a Grist series exploring the often chaotic, lucrative world of disaster response and recovery. These workers are just a small sample of those who make up the backbone of America’s disaster workforce. Disaster Medical Assistance Team Location: Ann Harbor, Michigan What do they do? After 35 years as a registered nurse and hospital manager in Sarasota, Florida, Mary Mitchell is no stranger to hurricane response and recovery. Two such units were born after the 2007 tornadoes — the Sedgwick County Animal Response and the Kansas Animal Response Team.