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As gray clouds loomed overheard early Saturday, members of a Denton church worked on houses damaged by flooding Monday.
No rain fell, but the clouds offered some relief from the heat as several volunteers from St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Denton tore away wet drywall and flooring from Gainesville homes flooded by Monday’s rains.
Mounds of damaged furniture, appliances, clothing and other household items were already cleared from homes and piled in the streets, then later into dump trucks. For now volunteers are just working to remove damaged parts within the homes, with the goal of allowing the homes to dry out and hopefully be restored enough to allow families to return.
“Our part of this relief effort is to try and get as many people in their homes as quickly and safely as possible,” said Mark Fuller, associate pastor of First Baptist Church in Gainesville, which is helping coordinate some of the relief efforts.
“It may be ever so humble, but there is no place like home, and this is their home,” he said.
Red Cross reported that 577 homes were affected by the flood.
Fuller said information was publicized telling homeowners who needed help clearing their residences to come to the church. Volunteers also went door-to-door seeking others in need of assistance.
First Baptist received requests to assist in clearing out around 90 homes, he said. So far, in the five days of their relief efforts, about 40 churches have come to help, Fuller said.
“People needed help,” said St. Andrew member Cindy Howell. “Part of being a church community is being in the community and reaching out to people in need.”
Members of Mississippi Assemblies of God Disaster Response Team drove around neighborhoods offering water and Powerade sports drink to families and volunteers.
“We were hit by Katrina,” one team member said. “So we’re paying our debt back.”
Fuller said some of the homes may be declared uninhabitable by the city or the Federal Emergency Management Agency, but those decisions have not yet been made.
“It’s hard doing this to a house knowing that it might not be rebuilt,” said St. Andrew member Sydney Wells. “It’s always a possibility, but you do what you can.”
Residents living near an area creek said they had no warning of the rising floodwaters, which started seeping into their homes early Monday morning. All they could think to do was get their families to safety.
“You see the water coming and you just want to run,” said homeowner Maria Soto.
Red Cross public affairs volunteer Mark Loeffler said many people are staying with family, friends, or in temporary shelters. People in need of greater assistance are asked to meet with a Red Cross caseworker at the Gainesville Civic Center.
Soto said that as they try to repair and restore their homes, local families welcome the help and support of volunteers, many of who have come from churches.
“There’s no way we could have done it ourselves,” she said. |
