Disaster Response Efforts In West Virginia Update: How Can You Help?

In late June, many areas in the southern part of West Virginia were hit with tremendous flooding. Homes were swept away. Family members were lost or injured. The waters were indiscriminate in sweeping through towns and bringing rapid destruction and damage to thousands of homes. And as the waters subsided, the people of our state began doing what we always do, rolling up our sleeves and helping one another out. People were working together to ship cleaning supplies and toiletries to those hard hit areas.

One of the best volunteer organizations that I have discovered when it comes to disaster response, and one which I would recommend to anyone looking to deploy, is Team Rubicon. The leadership of Team Rubicon has been trained in crisis and disaster response while serving in the military, and they bring all of that training and leadership into every disaster to which they deploy volunteers. One of the most challenging parts of disaster response for those who want to support is coordinating efforts. They require all volunteers to complete some online training modules before they deploy in an effort to ensure that all volunteers are fully equipped to make their punches count. I fully recommend signing up as a volunteer not just for the response that is needed now, but so you are equipped and prepared to deploy the next time an unexpected disaster strikes. Jamie and I also created a fundraising page with Team Rubicon to support their efforts. Will you consider donating? Jamie and I support Team Rubicon because we believe in the leadership, we are impressed by the staff, and we think they have a very coordinated and regimented training and disaster response program that gets veterans and civilians together to live out some of the best qualities of citizenship and service.

There's still lots of work to be done, and more and more people are launching initiatives to support. WVU Alum Ken Kendrick contributed matching toward raising funds for WVU Extension. Brad Paisley donated toward a Go Fund Me page to encourage others around the country to pledge their support. Jennifer Garner launched a campaign with Omaze to raise money through t-shirt sales for Save The Children's efforts to help children in those communities hardest hit. Jim Justice opened the Greenbrier resort to families in need. All over our state, people have rushed out to purchase supplies and make donations of various types in response. 

I have a few friends who have traveled down to support friends and family members directly, and ALL of them have come back stating that one of the greatest needs presently is simply manpower, and will be for the foreseeable future. Our state needs people to volunteer their time to respond to the cleanup needs. Universally, organizations are discouraging people from deploying on their own, but there are lots of groups out there to serve with. If you can, mobilize with a group that is already organized, if you are unable, then support efforts financially to help equip others to get out there. It is some dusty, dirty, muddy, mucky work, and your contribution, at whatever capacity will be appreciated.

Whatever you can do to help, do it! If you have time and skills that can help with the response in southern West Virginia, deploy with a reputable group and serve. If you are not available to help directly, or you can’t donate goods like those listed on the United Way website above, donate to an organization you know does great work! I am incredibly proud of the way people in our state have rallied to support these efforts, and I know that my fellow West Virginians will always make the best out of a difficult situation. We are a resilient community, a community that supports one another, and one that holds firmly to a commitment to service.

Recent Flooding In West Virginia And What You Can Do To Help

Over the last few days, my home state has been hit with massive amounts of rainfall which has led to intense flooding all over the state, but some of the worst areas have been in the southern half of the state. Entire towns were under water, and some people have even lost their homes.  I watched as my social media feed was filled with images and videos that my friends were capturing as they watched the waters roar. 

The waters have largely receded now, and now comes the cleanup. The cleanup is not what people typically imagine. People think about gathering scattered debris, or wiping down some surfaces in homes that remain intact, but it is so much more. I grew up on the Ohio River. There is a floodwall that surrounds my hometown of Parkersburg, West Virginia. In my lifetime I can only remember a few times that the floodwall was sealed off. The longest time was during the flood of 1985, but even just a few years ago, the waters rose high enough to cover most of the small park that exists outside the floodwall where the Little Kanawha and the Ohio Rivers meet. As the waters receded, the park area was covered with mud and muck that was about 2 inches deep. The fire department was deployed to wash the mud off the walkways and roads of the small park, otherwise, it would have remained muddy, mucky, and nasty.

 

When my dad was growing up, the floods seemed to come annually to the small house he and his siblings grew up in along the same stretch of the Ohio River. They would evacuate, and then return when the waters had receded. He remembered having to get snakes out of the house that had washed in with the flood waters, or which had slithered their way in to a place of temporary shelter. And then it was time to get to work clearing out the mud and the muck, and trying to discern what was salvageable.

That same scenario is being lived out by thousands of West Virginians right now. Their homes, if they were not washed away, may be damaged beyond repair. Some of these people live outside what is considered to be the flood zone for their area, so there are questions about whether insurance will help them recuperate their losses. And they need to wait for a visit from the insurance agents to help them discern.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Right now, people are dealing with the immediate. They are working with groups like Team Rubicon and other first responders to begin the massive cleanup, to conduct search and rescue operations for missing people. There are still people unaccounted for, and there are more than 20 dead. Forty-four of this state’s 55 counties were declared in a state of emergency.

In a moment like this, it is easy to wonder what a person can do to help. The desire is there for most of us, but there is also a degree of uncertainty. There are shams being created to exploit people’s generosity, and there have also been rare instances of looting in the wake of this disaster. But that’s not the way of most of the people of this state, or of this world. We want to help, and many of us make assumptions about what is needed, many relief workers call this a “second disaster.” This is where good intentioned people send items that are of little or no use to the people in need. In this instance here in West Virginia, first responders and relief workers have done a great job being extremely specific about needs. West Virginia University students have an incredibly organized website and volunteer effort to collect needed material donations. If you can, donate some time to help organize resources to be sent to the areas of need.

If you live further away, you can donate to organizations like the United Way, Red Cross, or Team Rubicon to support disaster response efforts. Personally, Jamie and I chose to give to Team Rubicon’s flood response efforts. This organization is led by former Marines, and they are bringing their crisis response training to deploy volunteers in chaotic environments in an organized way. They are not only bringing their skills into the environment, they are also providing both civilians and other veterans an outlet for continuing to use their training to serve others. In every interaction I’ve had with their staff team and volunteers I have been fully impressed. In fact, as full disclosure, Jamie and I have also signed on to be volunteers and receive training.

Whatever you can do to help, do it. If you have time and skills that can help with the response in southern West Virginia, deploy with a reputable group like those listed above and serve. If you are not available to help directly, or you can’t donate goods like those listed on the United Way website above, donate to an organization you know does great work! I am incredibly proud of the way people in our state have rallied to support these efforts, and I know that my fellow West Virginians will always make the best out of a difficult situation. We are a resilient community, a community that supports one another, and one that holds firmly to a commitment to service.

The Flood Part 2

Last week was a massive work of catching up on life and work after a week-long trek across much of Appalachia in the Nuru van, and then a week with my dad and best friend in the whole world, Willie traveling Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia.

As you may have heard or read, I came back to some massive moisture problems in my basement.In fact, I believed that I had quite effectively combined my mind with the collective knowledge of google when I back flushed a clogged drain line from my air conditioner, but my situation was not nearly as simple as I had hoped.

No, when I powered the AC back up on Monday night, it definitely worked, but it appears the problem was a bit more complex. By Tuesday evening, the AC had iced over completely, and so I found myself getting a good thaw going.

At the same time, I came to find that my front loading washer had a hole in the bellow (the big rubber seal on the front), and so when I washed the towels I used to soak up all of the moisture from my flooded basement, the washer dumped more water on the floor.

It was time to call in experts. I called an old friend, Mike White, who was in the business of duct-work, but is also pretty sharp when it comes to mechanical issues. I was at a loss, and wondered if I might have to replace/clean the AC unit (which was a common course of action sugested by online help). He told me that I might just need a new filter. I use a re-useable filter, and I've done so for years, but perhaps it's time was finally up. So thursday evening, I traveled to Lowes, bought a new filter, and bought some fresh duct seal (it's like high-quality play-doh for sealing ductwork), and plugged in a de-umidifier my buddy Chris Baker let me borrow.

The humidity was high this week, but between the AC (which is now running perfectly) and the de-humidifier, I think the moisture problems are virtually solved.It took the better part of a week, but it is now completed, and running more efficiently than it has in years. My basement is dry, but it might be a good move to use a carpet cleaner just to freshen up the space a bit. I had a couple of friends offer help with those. I also had my neighbor, Elijah Byer loan me a shop vac to do any clean-up if I needed it.

One of my biggest lessons learned was that although google allows us to find information very handily,it's not always as good as talking to friends and neighbors and getting their help. Plus, when we give folks a call or write them, it's a bonus that we get the privilege of catching up a bit. I'm thankful for the friends I have, and hope that I can be a source of sage wisdom, refreshment through conversation, and just general support and help when bumps pop up on the road.

Now to take care of this washing machine . . .

Gateway Arch

Gateway Arch, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

Yesterday, I made my way across the nation with the staff of Chestnut Ridge Church. We took two cars on our way to a national conference for Great Commission Churches. We've had a lot of time together lately. Last week, we had an extended planning time for the church, and this week, we are hearing lessons about family that have been learned over the last 35 years that Great Commission has existed as a movement.

Seen in the photo above is the Gateway Arch--a symbol of the westward expansion of the United States. St. Louis is often called the "Gateway to the West." A few years ago, I was able to journey to the top of the arch, and peruse the museum at it's base. There's a tribute to Tecumseh, one of the great Shawnee leaders, in the museum area.

So Yesterday, we crossed the mississippi river, or the M-shi-thii-pi as my ancestors called it. It's name means the great river, and it is flooding it's banks. It is a powerful river, and right now, the M-shi-thii-pi is doing a lot of damage. Twenty-four people have been killed. Many more have been injured. Over 3.4 million acres of cropland have been flooded and inundated with rain. Even in the photo, one can see the flood waters covering much of the riverfront park in St. Louis.

In spite of all the ingenuity of man (we were able to build a 630 ft arch in St. Louis w/o computer aid), there are some things that are more powerful than we are. Among them are the m-shi-thii-pi. When I think of the devastation, and I see the flood waters, I am humbled by the power of the waters. I am saddened by the devastation that is being caused by the river, and in some ways as I drove by the Arch in a mini-van, I feel the helplessness of the communities along the river.

I feel helplessness, but I pray that for these communities it will be temporary as the floodwaters subside. As I drove by yesterday, I felt limited and weak.

I don't fully understand the problems of this world. I am heartbroken by suffering and tragedy, but I am also hopeful. I am hopeful for a day when all of the problems of this world will be put to right. I feel like I've been meditating on this hope a lot lately. When we are confronted with what we see in the news, and often in our own lives, we can always choose hope over despair.

But our hope isn't in vain. It isn't the vain promise of some politician or other leader that things are steadily getting better. It is the hope that one day, ALL that is wrong will be made right, from the floods and the droughts, to the darkness that lies within our own hearts. It will all be dealt with one day, and I look forward expectantly until that day.

Until that day, I pray, and I seek to be a sign and a foretaste of what that day will be like. And as you read, I hope you will join with me.