Len & Marie recently spent two weeks in Schoharie, NY with World Renew Disaster Response Services. Here is one story from their time there:
Schoharie, located in a beautiful valley in the middle of New York state, was flooded two years ago by Hurricane Irene, and about 18 inches of rain was dumped on the already saturated ground. With this large amount of rainfall, it was a given that flooding would occur, but the residents did not expect it to be as drastic as it was. One home owner, with whom our team worked, had not only his basement and first floor flooded but also had a foot of water on his second floor. The water rose so quickly that they were given 15 minutes to get to higher ground. The water came in like a tidal wave and kept rising. Within 24 hours it was gone but left its destruction. Len and his team worked most of their two week term at the home that was flooded to the second floor. A lot of work was accomplished but there is still a long way to go. Hopefully they can be back in their home by Christmas.
Schoharie set up their long term recovery program and called themselves SALT (Schoharie Area Long Term). The local Reformed Church was at the helm of this team. They did Needs Assessment and got ready for the “Green Shirts”. One of their regulations was that the home owner had to help as much as possible with the reconstruction of their home, This was very evident in the homes we worked in.
For us, it was very rewarding to see homes completed and the stores in town reopening. We were excited to be invited to a home Len had worked in for 2 ½ weeks last summer. The owners had moved in last November and were very excited to show us their “new” home. What a blessing to see the joy in that beautiful home.
God brought 15 people together for two weeks this summer to work as a team in an area that needed our help. We, as the Green Shirts, are recognized for the work we do but also for bringing some hope back to people who were devastated.
- Marie
Schoharie, located in a beautiful valley in the middle of New York state, was flooded two years ago by Hurricane Irene, and about 18 inches of rain was dumped on the already saturated ground. With this large amount of rainfall, it was a given that flooding would occur, but the residents did not expect it to be as drastic as it was. One home owner, with whom our team worked, had not only his basement and first floor flooded but also had a foot of water on his second floor. The water rose so quickly that they were given 15 minutes to get to higher ground. The water came in like a tidal wave and kept rising. Within 24 hours it was gone but left its destruction. Len and his team worked most of their two week term at the home that was flooded to the second floor. A lot of work was accomplished but there is still a long way to go. Hopefully they can be back in their home by Christmas.
Schoharie set up their long term recovery program and called themselves SALT (Schoharie Area Long Term). The local Reformed Church was at the helm of this team. They did Needs Assessment and got ready for the “Green Shirts”. One of their regulations was that the home owner had to help as much as possible with the reconstruction of their home, This was very evident in the homes we worked in.
For us, it was very rewarding to see homes completed and the stores in town reopening. We were excited to be invited to a home Len had worked in for 2 ½ weeks last summer. The owners had moved in last November and were very excited to show us their “new” home. What a blessing to see the joy in that beautiful home.
God brought 15 people together for two weeks this summer to work as a team in an area that needed our help. We, as the Green Shirts, are recognized for the work we do but also for bringing some hope back to people who were devastated.
- Marie
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