Joey Baker: The Heart of Disaster Recovery and Compassionate Care at SERVPRO
Joey Baker’s hands-on, people-first approach to disaster recovery is changing the way families rebuild after trauma.
By
Nov 25, 2025
Joey Baker: Leading with Compassion in Disaster Recovery at SERVPRO
When disaster strikes, whether it’s a devastating fire, a destructive flood, or an unexpected storm, the emotional toll can be just as overwhelming as the physical damage. For families who lose everything, the immediate aftermath often feels like a blur, chaotic, uncertain, and terrifying. At a time when everything seems lost, people don’t just need cleanup services, they need someone to guide them through the emotional storm, offering comfort, compassion, and clear direction.
That’s where Joey Baker, the Director of Emergency Services at SERVPRO of Lancaster West, East York County, Lebanon, and Harrisburg East, comes in. Joey’s approach to disaster recovery is radically different from the traditional model. Her work is about more than restoring homes; it’s about restoring dignity, stability, and hope to families who’ve faced the unimaginable. As a compassionate leader with a deep commitment to her community, Joey’s efforts are reshaping how the restoration industry views support, trauma care, and recovery.
Beyond Restoration: Joey’s Heartfelt Approach to Disaster Recovery
Joey Baker is not your typical emergency services director. She’s not just a leader overseeing the cleanup process. Instead, she is the calm in the chaos, the person who shows up on scene when families are at their most vulnerable, offering not just a shoulder to lean on, but a real plan for recovery.
“I don’t show up to sell a service," Joey explains. "I show up to help people take their first steps after a disaster. It’s about showing up when everything is falling apart, offering comfort, and walking with families through the toughest times of their lives.”
Her philosophy is clear: disaster recovery isn’t just about cleaning up homes, it’s about restoring the people who live in them. While the industry typically focuses on physical restoration, Joey takes a unique approach, focusing on emotional support, trauma-informed care, and human connection.
She knows firsthand that when families are watching their homes burn or being displaced from their apartments, their primary need is not paperwork, but the comfort and support of someone who understands their pain. Joey is often the first person to reach out to them in their darkest hour, offering reassurance, clarity, and the first steps toward recovery.
Joey’s Closet: A Lifeline for Families in Crisis
Joey’s commitment to helping families in need goes far beyond offering kind words. She founded Joey’s Closet, a groundbreaking victims-assistance initiative that provides immediate clothing, comfort items, and essential supplies to families in the aftermath of a disaster. When a fire rips through a home, the victims often leave with only the clothes they were wearing. Joey’s Closet ensures that no one has to go without the basics in their time of crisis.
The program is not just about providing clothing, it’s about dignity. Joey’s Closet provides a sense of normalcy and comfort when everything feels out of control. But Joey didn’t stop there. Through a strategic partnership with the Pennsylvania Furniture Mission, Joey expanded her mission to provide even more, furniture, bedding, sofas, tables, and other household necessities, helping families rebuild their lives from the ground up.
“Disaster recovery isn’t just about cleaning up a home,” Joey says. “It’s about restoring dignity, stability, and the feeling that someone truly cares. Joey’s Closet is a way to help families regain some semblance of normalcy in a world that feels like it’s been turned upside down.”
This initiative is unheard of in the restoration industry, where the focus is typically on physical property. Joey’s Closet fills a critical gap by addressing the emotional and psychological needs of victims as they begin the difficult journey of rebuilding their lives.
A Hands-On Leader: Supporting Families and First Responders
Joey doesn’t just sit behind a desk while others do the heavy lifting. She’s right there on the front lines, coordinating recovery efforts and providing on-the-ground support to families and first responders alike.
At disaster scenes, Joey is often the first point of contact for displaced families, offering a comforting presence and guiding them through the process of recovery. Her role isn’t about pushing for contracts or paperwork, it’s about providing real, human support. She helps families navigate the overwhelming confusion of insurance claims, temporary housing, and the other logistical nightmares that accompany a disaster.
“When a family is standing on the sidewalk, watching their home burn, what they need most is someone to listen, someone to help them understand what’s going to happen next,” Joey explains. “That’s where I come in. I help them take their first steps after a disaster and guide them through it.”
Joey’s leadership doesn’t stop with the victims. She’s also known for her strong relationships with first responders. Firefighters, EMS professionals, and other emergency crews working long hours during disaster recovery often need support too. Joey provides logistical assistance, snacks, hydration, and even emotional support, ensuring that the first responders who are out there saving lives have the resources and backup they need to keep doing their jobs.
Her support has earned her the respect and gratitude of first responders, who appreciate her dedication to both the victims and the teams working to save lives.
A Mission-Driven Leader: Combining Compassion with Action
Joey’s approach is rooted in her mission to serve the community. She doesn’t see her work as just a job, it’s a calling. She has a deep understanding of trauma, both personally and professionally, which allows her to relate to families in a way that others simply can’t.
Her work is people-first, focusing on the emotional well-being of victims in addition to their physical recovery. She has made a name for herself as someone who is committed to ensuring that families don’t just recover their homes, they recover their lives.
“I’m here to restore dignity, to restore normalcy, and to show people that there’s still hope when everything seems lost,” says Joey. “My mission is simple: to show up, support people, and help them find hope when everything feels like it’s falling apart.”
Joey’s work has become a model for what compassionate disaster recovery can look like. Her trauma-informed care, victim-focused programs, and deep community involvement have made a profound impact on the lives of countless families in Central Pennsylvania.
Changing the Face of Restoration
What makes Joey’s approach unique is that she doesn’t just restore property, she restores lives. In an industry that often focuses solely on physical restoration, Joey is working to change the way disaster recovery is perceived and practiced.
Through Joey’s Closet and her trauma-informed programs, she is providing a model for how communities can come together to support disaster victims in more meaningful ways. Her work demonstrates that compassion is just as critical to recovery as cleaning up debris and rebuilding structures. In fact, it’s the emotional and psychological support that often allows victims to recover more fully and begin rebuilding their lives.
Joey’s commitment to the community, her leadership, and her focus on people-first recovery make her a standout figure in the world of disaster services. Her dedication to helping others rebuild after disaster is a powerful reminder that recovery is not just about cleaning up the mess, it’s about helping people feel whole again.
Learn More About Joey’s Mission and Impact
To learn more about Joey Baker’s work at SERVPRO and her community-driven disaster recovery initiatives, visit the following links:
Joey Baker’s story is one of compassion, leadership, and community-driven disaster recovery. Her approach to restoration is a powerful reminder that people, not just homes, need to be restored after disaster strikes.
