Hello, friends,
I hope you all are enjoying some summer rest, and particularly today’s break from the heat.
I’m getting in touch to pass along to you an opportunity for volunteers to serve in disaster response that I’ve recently learned of from my LDR counterpart in West Virginia, Sarah Soltow. Sarah is looking for assistance in rebuilding three small homes near Logan, WV, which have been damaged by floods this year. She has invited us, as volunteers from nearby, to see whether we can put together one or more crews to work there anytime between mid-August and mid-October.
The details of the need are described below, in excerpts from two e-mails she has sent me about this need. As you will see, this is not a major disaster compared to a hurricane, but for the vulnerable people impacted, it is every bit as much a disaster as Hurricane Katrina was. Your help will be a treasure of great price.
Please let me or Sarah (CLP.inc@citlink.net) know if there are people from your congregation(s) who might be able and willing to respond! – or be in touch with either of us for more information.
George, Liz, Debbie: your assistance circulating this request would be very much appreciated.
Thanks so much for the great work you have already done, and continue to do, for God’s children in need.
In Christ’s peace,
Jan Tobias, coordinator
Lutheran Disaster Response – Virginia
A ministry of Lutheran Famiily Services of Virginia
[TEXT FROM SARAH SOLTOW FOLLOWS:]
July 22, 2007
…We continue to assess and see where CLP-LDR (and friends J) response fit in to the long-term recovery efforts in southern WV.
Currently, we’ve identified 3 homes in Logan County that could use our work crew assistance. They all are in a small African American enclave that has fallen through pretty much all of the cracks for other kinds of assistance. One place needs new flooring (including stringers) in 2 rooms. The other two places will need less intense work, but still in need. We are hoping for a total of 3-5 crews mid-August through mid-October or so to work on these homes. I’m hoping for one crew each from VA, DC, and PA, and the rest would be WV crews.
With a resource request from LDR, CLP will be able to purchase materials and provide gas and housing for crews that can assist. We have a good place for crews to stay where they can cook breakfast and dinner. We would request that teams bring tools of their own. Logan is located approx. 1 hr south of Charleston WV on Rt. 119, a 4-lane road. Access is pretty easy, but the place and the adventure will be a cultural foray for teams who respond.
Mid-August will be coming up quickly, so I wanted to get this info out to you. Please keep me informed of crew possibilities and availability.
And- thank you all very much for your willingness to help in this area…
July 24, 2007
…I thought I’d take the opportunity to describe a little more to you concerning the long term recovery work that we’d like to accomplish in Logan County WV. While there are about 35 cases of need, there are 3 homes in particular that CLP-LDR has agreed to focus on. The homes are part of a small African-American ‘enclave’ in a community called Shamrock near the town of Logan. These 3 homes and families are all that’s left of a slightly larger community that has ‘moved on’ or ‘died out’. The community is beside of a very small creek. At some point in time, across the creek, a gas station was built, and the land on that side was built up to accommodate this business. We heard from one of the residents how they had approached the county commission about that and were told that they could not build up their land…since that time, their homes get water when the creek floods… the gas station does not. Because the homes are in the flood plain, these families are not eligible for much assistance. In the words of the long-term recovery worker there, Janet Kelley, these people “truly have fallen through the cracks.”
One of the homes needs floor replacement (including joists) in two rooms, kitchen and living room. We are all aware that flooding will occur again, but having a stable floor to start with will provide some security for many more years. The second home may be in the process of being replaced with a modular set on a higher foundation. We have been asked to assist in whatever stage that project may be in- we may be asked to tear down an outbuilding or help put the house in. The third home has water damage to insulation which is quite accessible in a ground floor garage. In the house itself, some leaky plumbing has resulted in soft flooring and walls in the bathroom. We would like to assist in these general repairs as well. Two of the families have children and teens living in the home, the third is an elderly couple. All are hoping that we can respond to their needs.
We have received $20,000 from LDR to assist in this recovery effort. While we expect to provide funding for other projects in the area, we also expect to be able to fund building materials, gas, and lodging for crews to work here. We have one WV crew that may be able to work in late August, and our desire is that from August through October, that these 3 home repairs could be completed.
All of you have expressed interest and a desire to do recovery work in an area closer than Biloxi or New Orleans or Florida. We invite you to help us in this effort to rebuild the lives of 3 families in southern WV.
Thanks for your efforts and your response. I look forward to your replies.
In Christ –
Sarah
